Devotion and Desire
by Alkedema
Summary: One demon, one chosen mate. He wants her love but he has to earn it. Rated T for now
1. Chapter 1

Hello readers. This is an idea that has been bugging me so I decided to post it here. Please tell me what you think of this little prologue. I have the basic outline of the story already planned out but if no one likes it then I won't post.

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Marcus was surrounded by the demons of a very powerful bloodline. A blood line so old that it can be traced far beyond the creation of the pyramids.

His blood line.

A title that meant extreme power and greater responsibility. Marcus was taught from a young age how to handle the power granted to him by his superior blood and simultaneously how he must use that power. His father taught him the consequences of lack of control; the raw energy his family possessed could destroy many things but his father made sure to press onto him that his power could kill innocents.

A demon has multiplule forms and every demon has at least two, their humanoid form and their demon form. Some can shape shift into animals or illusion themselves to look like other people. Growing up one must learn how to curb their demons desires because the beast within does not know reason only instinct.

The stronger the inner demon or 'beast' as their mostly called, the stronger the demon. And in the supernatural world strength is power.

His blood line alone made him royalty.

His mother, the queen of demons of North America, stood to his left with a comforting hand on his broad shoulder, while his father, the king of demons of North America, stood proudly to his right. Behind him, pacing with excitement was his younger brother Zivan and next to him was his little sister Claire.

The royal family stood in a great garden nearby their neighboring woods on their royal estate. It was in the light of the midnight moon as is tradition. For tonight was extremely important for all present because this night was Marcus' Quivering.

The Quivering is how demons find their mate, the other half of their soul. Chosen by fate a male demon is born with the quivering instinct already embedded in their DNA just suppressed. The female demon must wait for a mate to claim her, she cannot find one on her own. Whether youngling or elder the Quivering can happen at any age but it always occurs on the night of the male demon's birthday.

Tonight is Marcus' birthday.

Tonight he will find his long awaited mate.

It is basic education in his parent's kingdom that all demons be taught the signs of an approaching quivering because if left unprepared the demon can become violent. His family noticed the symptoms of the event in him before he was aware of them himself. His physical appearance slowly changed into a more muscular form and his power became impossibly enhanced. Marcus is thankful to his family for helping him get to this point, where he finally waits to be united with his mate. The Quivering instinct uses a demons magic to transport them directly to their mate. Quite handy because once there the male is put through the acknowledgement. In this stage of the mating a males senses become impossibly attuned to their female and many have described it as an over-load of sensations, rendering the male stunned. In this stage a demon's beast recognizes the female as it's mate.

Marcus was ready for this. His whole life he saw the relationship between his parents and craved the partnership they have. It is an honor for every demon to mate because their partner is hand picked by Fate, a blessing from above.

Suddenly Marcus began to feel a foreign power that of someone not present in the garden. He stiffened.

_Is this it?_ he wondered. He turned to his family and murmured, "It is now."

Marcus didn't see the excitement on their faces because as soon as he uttered those few words _it_ hit him. Like nothing he ever experienced before, an ancient magic took hold of him and gripped him tight, almost painfully so. The power was continually hitting him full force before he was no longer in the garden with his family, he was transported to his mate.

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Thanks again for reading. Let me know what you think so far.

Alkedema.


	2. Chapter 2

Devotion and Desire Chapter 2

Hello again readers. Here is chapter two please let me know what you think about it.

I'll let you know what I think; I think this needs a beta. Its hard to correct and critique your own work.

Warning some explicit scenes in this chapter.

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Like nothing he ever experienced before, an ancient magic took hold of him and gripped him tight, almost painfully so. The power was continually hitting him full force before he was no longer in the garden with his family, he was transported to his mate.

Marcus was simply astounded.

One moment he was in a vortex of chaos and power and now… now there was peace. It was an eerie silence after the confusion of the 'Calling', the transportation.

Marcus didn't have a clue as to where he was but he knew that the sleeping girl in front of him was his mate. He could barely take his eyes off the sleeping form to look around the room, which wasn't safe. A demon of his status must always be aware of his surroundings.

But at this moment Marcus couldn't care all he was aware of was the scent that assaulted him. Taking her scent into his lungs, he was overcome with the smell of mangos. Her delicious heavy scent was all he needed to know. "_This is is her_" he thought. "_After all these years, finally_"

While Marcus would never admit it aloud he was embarrassed that his Quivering had taken centuries to occur and he was beginning to wonder if Fate chose a solitary existence for him. But no, long at last Fate chose this being twisted in her own sheets to be his.

His human mate.

Human mates weren't uncommon among the demon population but they were for his bloodline. His family always had demon mates and full- blooded demon children but now… _Now is a good time for change._ Marcus decided, he was unwilling to conceive the fact that she would not be accepted by either his family or the council that helped with the ruling of the kingdom. That council was going to give him problems, he knew that immediately , they were just a bunch of demons giving their opinion when no one wishes for it.

_Kill them_ spoke a voice in his head _Take what is yours and kill all who threaten our mate._

His beast was angry and more forceful than usual on this night. It did not like these thoughts about its' mate and frankly either did Marcus.

_I will handle any opposition to our mate. _He assured his beast, trying to calm it. A rumble of discontent was his only response.

Marcus snapped out of his thoughts when the creature before him stirred, sending mango filled air into his being. It was then he realized he voiced his displeasure with a soft growl.

He was unconsciously leaning closer towards her from his position at the foot of her bed but at her movement he straightened and blinked a few times to get his bearings. Marcus looked around him and noted that his mate slept in a small room with a single window that was closed and the curtains drawn.

Surprisingly there was another occupant in the room not even 5 feet from his mate. Slightly frustrated with his lack of attention (especially when involving his companion) he immediately extended his large hand and traced a spell through the air causing the humans in the room to fall into a heavy sleep. He did not want anyone waking up and ruining his time to examine his mate.

He crept around to the side of the bed, careful not to step on several items left on the floor. She was facing towards him with one arm tucked under her pillow leaving her smooth neck exposed. The air in his body left him in a _whosh_ as he saw his mate's profile.

He quickly put to memory every facet of her face; the curve of her rounded cheeks, the slight bump of her nose, and looking at her full, parted lips made him lick his own. He leisurely studied her perfection and her flaws including the cluster of pimples on her forehead.

Marcus watched her chest slowly rise and fall, as her eyes moved beneath her closed lids as she dreamed. She had a youthful looking face but from what he could ascertain of her figure it was one of a mature woman; he could guess her age to be about late teens, early twenties.

Her smooth features caused havoc on his body and the sight of her brown hair falling all over her pillow made him quite aware of to his beast's reaction to her. Painful arousal. The front of his pants quickly became tight with need as a surge of feelings coursed through him.

Never before had he felt such chaos in his being and vaguely he registered that he disliked not having a solid grip of his emotions. As his father taught him, that could be deadly.

_Focus!_ He told himself pushing away all unwanted thoughts. Marcus knew he couldn't waste this time this night. He must find a way to protect his mate. He must bond with her, the Quivering instinct was riding him hard to do so.

One touch was all he needed to start the _Acknowledgement_ , the most preliminary stage of the mating ritual. In this step a demon's beast recognizes the other as a mate and unleashes it's inner most magic, magic only accessed to a mated demon. Once started this would allow him to bond with her and start the mating ritual. Bonding would allow a more intimate connection and permit him to act as her guardian. But he can't go that far tonight, not with a mortal mate.

A female demon would not mind being woken up by her new found mate and would gladly mate with him even before names could be exchanged. A mortal woman would defiantly mind.

Staring down at his mate Marcus made another comparison, female demons were notoriously graceful creatures even in their sleep. But not this human. No, she was on her back spread across the bed, with one knee bent and her arms were twisted in a way that looked painful.

She was certainly not graceful as a she-demon.

With a small, satisfied smile Marcus continued to gaze at his little mate. He certainly didn't care if he had to wait to fully bond with her, looking down at the curve of her hip and the swell of her breasts, he knew his patience would be worth it if he was allowed to claim this body.

And with that thought removed her blanket with a quick expel of magic, he couldn't take it anymore; her body should be exposed to him, her mate. Both Marcus and the beast growled with the thought of her owning him.

She was wearing material that could barely be called shorts and an over-sized shirt. He properly took in her form and found himself surprisingly pleased. She was not thin, as he usually preferred, but an average build with exaggerated curves. It must be that she was his mate that he approved of her body to such a painful extent (his pants really were hurting him).

She emitted an allure that drew him in, much like a siren, and without conscious thought he noticed his hand extend closer to his sleeping mate.

He slowly, careful not to touch her skin yet, he moved her shirt up over her rounded breasts.

He hissed sharply. Fully exposed to his keen sight were two delicious pale breasts. He watched with fascination as the darkened peaks hardened before his eyes. Her bosom was perfection, full and heavy and the ideal size for his hands. The twin nipples were practically begging for his touch. The instinct and his beast roared at him to satisfy his urge to feel his mate.

And without a reason otherwise he did.

He rolled her right nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Instantly he felt a surge of power similar to what he felt in the garden. He sensed the raw power of the Quivering but now all this power was his to keep. Looking back on this night Marcus would describe the feeling of this first touch to be nothing short of 'mind blowing'.

He started the _Acknowledgement _and his beast was reacting. Within in he was aware of the creature growing, evolving itself in preparation of its' mate. His senses, already acute, became impossibly sharp; he could hear and feel every heart beat of everyone around him and yet he could only hear his mate's soft breathing, could only feel her stiff nipple. He was drowning in her heady scent.

Right now his beast had total control of his consciousness. It filled Marcus' mind with lustful desires and its protective instincts. His beast was prepared to allow Marcus access to its power so he could defend his right to mate and to care for its chosen in any way needed.

Eventually Marcus let out one long breath as an indication that the _Acknowledgement_ passed. The now, fully matured beast rumbled in satisfaction and relinquished control back to Marcus. It was completely docile now that its life companion was close. Only with a compatible mate would the beast react in such a way and it made itself very clear, that they had found their perfect mate. Thank Fate.

Marcus breathed heavily; everything was different all his sensory perceptions were dramatically altered. He could feel his new power rippling underneath his skin and frankly it was frightening.

Looking down at his mate, Marcus found that he was gripping her breast while his thumb was circling her nipple. The sight of her skin under his hand memorized him, the two contrasts of feminine flesh verses masculine strength, and he bent closer on instinct.

It was then he realized that the creature in the bed was breathing heavily just like him only hers was excitement. He could smell her rich fruity aroma bloom into feminine need and it called to him like nothing else _ever_ would.

Quickly he jerked back ripping his hand away and pulling down her shirt, hiding all that beautiful flesh. He mustn't get carried away tonight. The sleeping woman made a keening sound in the back of her throat almost begging for his continued attention.

Marcus smirked, it was nice to know that on some level she recognized him and wanted no, needed him. "Soon" he promised, "I will give you all you could ever want, my mate."

Marcus needed to leave but he was anxious, not wanting to give her up now that he finally found her. He traced a series of slashes into the air, performing a protection spell; it was almost like a bubble, no harm would be able to reach her and Marcus would know when it was used. Instantly he noticed the difference in his power level, he now preformed the spell with little thought and with greater effect than he ever had before. The beast would protect its mate.

Marcus leaned down towards his life mate, taking a deep breath, trying to forever remember her wonderful scent. With the barest of touches he kissed her forehead and murmured "Happy Birthday to me". And with that he disappeared from the room.

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Ok so I know there's mistakes in here and I might have written things weird but here is chapter 2. Please tell me what you think

Alkedema


	3. Chapter 3

Devotion and Desire Chapter 3

Thank you, thank you to all my readers. I'm really happy people like this story.

First off let me respond to romanceaddict : I admit that I borrowed some ideas but that was only because I had no idea how to make the two characters meet. And also I had no idea I was so predictable. I'll try to make the story less cliché.

There is another semi-lemon in this chapter.

Now on with the story.

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Marcus appeared outside his family's massive estate. He stood in the cool night air and allowed the turbulent emotions to wash through him.

Leaving her room was difficult but necessary because he had to gain a sense of calm and control. These emotions should be classified as new and undiscovered because what Marcus had felt was more intense and vibrant that anything that he experienced before.

The newly mated demon walked through the wooded area behind his family's estate. The royal estate had a protective barrier around the entire property to guard the occupants inside from any unwanted visitors. This estate was set up in a rural area of New Jersey and housed many supernatural creatures, ambassadors and politicians so the spells were extremely strong to ensure peace among the different Kingdoms of species and also to guarantee that no wandering innocents found out about the supernatural world. So any person who wanted access into the property would have to stand at the edge of the spell's barrier and wait for admittance, unless you were Marcus. The royal family was the exception to the spell because it was their bloodline created it and therefore recognized them as welcomed persons and so all he had to do was walk right through it.

Breathing in the smell of the forest and clean night air lessened the thick need his mate's mango scent inspired in him. It was such a warm, tropical smell and it was forever imprinted in his mind, in his lungs. _I could find her scent anywhere in the world _Marcus determined.

_Find her now! We should be with mate always. Never part with her, go back! _Marcus grunted under the force of his beast's words shouted in his head. The demon did his best to calm the beast _She is mortal and won't accept us right now. I must plan this out carefully otherwise she will reject us. Do you want that?_

_Mate would reject us?_

_Not yet but you must let me handle this. The more I plan the more she will want us as her mate._ Marcus was going to stop his persuasion there but he was a fast thinker. _Help me use and understand these abilities. They will ensure that we get our mate to bond with us. _

_Yes! Bond with mate. _Marcus could feel his beast agreeing with him more than it knew. If he got the creature inside him to work with him that would help guarantee a smooth courtship and eventual mating. Marcus knew he needed all the help he could get with a human mate.

_Then you must work with me and listen to my commands because I know how to handle this situation._

A whimpered _Want mate_ was all Marcus got from his beast but he could tell it was becoming docile once more. With a sigh of relief Marcus began the 20-minute journey from the edge of the property to his room in the royal mansion.

His family hadn't always lived here but Marcus spent a great deal of time in these woods, centuries playing and learning with his family here in New Jersey but tonight the familiar woods looked strange to Marcus. It was because of his new senses, everything seemed more alive and vivid around him, it was spectacular and he thanked Fate for giving him this gift. Every blade of grass and every vein on the leaves Marcus could see with perfect clarity even in the darkness of night.

Explore the forest with new eyes would give Marcus more time to settle his emotions, something he has not been able to accomplish since the beginning of this night. So much had changed in Marcus because of his Quivering but it wasn't until the demon tripped over a fallen tree that he really understood how much. Looking down at the tree Marcus was confused as to why he couldn't step over it.

With a bit of logical reasoning Marcus saw the full extent of the power he received. His body was physically changed, it was stronger, bigger. His thighs were massive now with roped muscle cording through his entire legs. No wonder he tripped, looking down at his legs Marcus found his tailor-made pants 5 inches too short and his custom fit shoes were tight around his feet. His gait had naturally adjusted itself to accommodate his thicken limbs or Marcus would never have been able to walk. _What else is new with me? _Marcus wondered curiously not in the least worried about all these transformations.

Examining himself further Marcus noted his clothes were ripped, as they could no longer fit to his form. His dress shirt was torn at the seams under his arms and around his torso, to make room for his new muscle. His pants were in the same state leaving strips of his flesh visible through the many tears in his clothing.

Marcus' entire body had developed into one of a mated demon, now he has the power and the physical strength to protect his mate. _What will she think of this? Will my mate be pleased?_ Marcus thought looking down at his considerable body. Turning his hands over and making them into fists, he also thought about his supernatural strength and compared it to his fragile mate.

A strange movement in the woods caught his attention, snapping him out of his thoughts. Tensing at the possible threat, he extended his sensory abilities, his consciousness reaching to his far right. He detected a familiar presence in the woods. Marcus relaxed his position and greeted the person. "Come out father I know you're there."

He could sense his father's surprise at being caught but he could also determine that the king was proud of his son. As King, his father knew how to cloak himself in an illusion to make him appear invisible but what was once an effective tactic no longer fooled Marcus. Laughing to himself, the younger demon could also sense his father's disappointment, the Demon King loved to play games.

Marcus could hear the accompanying movements that brought his father from his hiding place in a canopy of trees to his son very clearly, in fact it was so clear that Marcus could practically see his father without actually _seeing_ him.

The King bounded his way through the greenery and gave his son a tight hug. "Welcome back" he said as he dropped the embrace. Stepping back, Marcus nodded "Thank you"

Taking in his son's appearance the Demon King laughed loudly "My, My look at you. Your mother is going to have a fit with the state your in! Well good luck with that."

Marcus shook his head; his mother was going to scold him for looking so ragged.

The King silently looked at his son, really looked at him. Marcus was next in line to be king and that worried the both of them. While the king had faith in him to be an excellent ruler, his son was so serious and judged himself too harshly. The King and Queen hoped that once Marcus found his mate he might be able to loosen up a little, being ruler isn't always so strict.

"Let's get home Marcus. We have several things to discuss. I'm sure you have questions" And with that the Demon King walked into the greenery again.

Marcus followed his father, grateful that he was here and willing to help him out of this confusing post-Quivering stage. He wanted to ensure a good mating and most of all he wanted his mate to accept him, Marcus had no problems taking any advice he could get on the subject.

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Juliet knew she had to get out of bed, the longer she stayed lying down the less time she would have to get ready for school. But not even that could shake the punctual girl from her bed.

Juliet had the strangest dream last night. In her dream she was sitting in her favorite spot at her school's library writing something in a green notebook. Nothing too exciting there but as she was packing up to leave a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Turning around did nothing to alleviate the stranger's mysterious identity because all she could see was a blur.

But that was ok because in the dream world she knew this man, intimately. So when he started kissing her, she had no problem kissing him back. Their lips locked with a frightening familiarity.

In the reality of dreams, they were no longer at the library but suddenly outside in a park of some sort, _how odd_ she remembered thinking. One of his hands gripped the back of her head and started a wicked massage. Oh! He knew that was her weakness.

With his other hand he boldly laid it on the small of her back, under her shirt. She gripped his muscular arms and let him take over this little make out session. Still keeping tempo with the massage he broke from her lips and moved to her neck while the large hand under her shirt ascended between her shoulder blades. His lips were hot on her neck making her moan. Funny thing was she moaned his name, she just can't remember it.

His wonderful ministrations were making her short of breath, Juliet was practically panting when the masculine hand under her shirt reached around and settled on her suddenly bare breast.

The second he captured her nipple between two large fingers, everything shifted. Bright colors erupted behind her eyes closed in ecstasy, and her nose was filled with an amazing, erotic scent. She somehow knew it was his own, unique scent. He smelt like dark spice, way better than any cologne out on the market and the strange thing was as soon as she inhaled it there was an answering rush between her legs.

Although she still couldn't see his face, Juliet knew his eyes were on her face because his gaze felt like a physical caress. Like magic both their clothes were gone and her legs were wrapped around his mouth-watering waist, cut to perfection, and he was supporting them both in this intimate position. All the while still gripping her breast.

Almost as if he was pressed for time he aligned their bodies in a way that Juliet became aware of a very large prodding against her inner thigh. She looked down desperate to see anything of him but to no avail so she reached in between their bodies and simply felt. She moaned a little at the feel of his hard length and that dark scent of his rose into Juliet herself. She moved his erection to where it needed to be and clung to him for support.

With his engorged shaft pressed against her core, she vaguely registered that today was his birthday, how or why she knew that Juliet couldn't recall.

With a growl of his own her dream lover connected their hips, deliciously filling her body and…

… And that's when she woke up. Disappointed and horny as hell it had taken an hour to get back to sleep and even then it was fitful.

Now she had to get up and go to school, on a Monday, on a Monday with little sleep and an embarrassing ache. One she hadn't filled in a long time.

Rolling over to her side she noted the empty bed across the room and continued to roll straight off the bed. _Ouch!_ Not the best way to get out of bed but effective. Picking herself off the floor, Juliet stood and stretched, trying to work out the knots.

It was 8: 03 am according to her Iphone, which meant Juliet, had about 30 minutes to get ready; her first class started at 9:30 and it takes about 35 minutes to drive to the campus. This routine would leave her with 20 minutes to do nothing. This was a flaw of hers, or a gift depending on how you look at it, Juliet could never be late to anything. Her stomach knotted and her heart would beat faster just for the simple reason of being tardy.

So every school day Juliet wakes up early, leaves early, and enters the classroom early. She constantly tells people ' I'd rather be an hour early than 10 minutes late' and sadly it was true.

Juliet turned on her laptop and headed for the bathroom while it started up. After finishing her morning routine (teeth, face, hair, clothes) Juliet went back into her room and double-checked she had everything she needed for school. After that she just wasted time on the computer before she had to leave for school.

Juliet was in her second year at the local community college and still lived at home, this wasn't what she had planned after high school but it was what she got stuck with. Home was in sunny south Florida and she was one of the few native born people here. Home was also crowded because she had a sister and two brothers, yep; six people in total lived in the same house. Juliet had to share a room with her little sister, which was embarrassing because she was 19 and a college student.

With a sigh Juliet thought about her dream guy, literally. She couldn't help but wish for a strong, sexy guy like the one last night to come sweep her off her feet; it had been a while since her last relationship and that didn't end well. The jerk cheated on her and didn't give a damn, just once she wanted to date a guy that was loyal and honest.

Juliet used school as an excuse not to think about that subject and decided it was time to leave for school; she gathered her backpack and car keys and headed off to college.

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There is chapter 3 not a lot happens in this one either but I'm still getting the story started. I want to make the chapters lengthier in the future so the updates will be longer. Again I apologize for any mistakes in grammar. Please tell me what you think and thank you to everyone who reads this.

Alkedema


	4. Chapter 4

Devotion and Desire Chapter 4

Sorry for the wait! I've been busy with work and school and it leaves me with little time to think and write.

Thank you, Letyne for your review. I was worried that my story was a little too clished for some people's tastes.

And Thank you again romanceaddict I'm so happy you liked the king, I do too! Your input really helps me write.

In advance I apologize for any grammar mistakes.

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Her Highness Queen Analisse was sitting anxiously in the main meeting room in her large estate, absently tapping her foot. The beat created an erratic tempo on the well-made hard wood floor. Her two children left to find something to eat in the kitchens. She refused to move to a more comfortable part of the mansion because this room was closest to the front entrance, closest to the wooded area outside her property, which meant this was the best place to wait if one was expecting someone to walk through those large wooden doors. Her son, and her mate should be walking through those doors soon and the Demon Queen wanted to be the first to see her son.

_Finally!_ , was her first thought when it became obvious that Marcus was going through the Quivering. Both her characters, the loving mother and the wise ruler, agreed that this was a long awaited blessing. No one expected him to have to wait so long for his mate, birthday after birthday she grew worried with no sign of a mate for her eldest son. Marcus _needed_ this.

All his life, Marcus had been raised with the intention of becoming the next Demon King and through an enormous effort on his part, her son became an accomplished Prince.

Marcus knew that in order to rule effectively one must be diplomatic and calm under pressure and as the Queen she was immensely proud to know that her child would be just as great as his father. But the mother in her was worried, Marcus was always calm and seemingly unaffected by the personal happenings of everyday life, so detached. The Queen sighed sadly. _It was that damn incident when he was a child. He took that so harshly._

Right around the time when her youngest, Claire, was born Marcus was experiencing those troublesome pubescence years. It is extra taxing on the parents of demon children than it is for humans because Analisse had to deal with Marcus' mood swings and the maturity of his powers, a very hectic time. Going from a demon child to an adult came with lessons of control on how to deal with these new changes but her poor boy had to learn the hard way, through experience. Their bloodline gave her family great power and in a fit of hormonal rage Marcus unintentionally demonstrated how much. He placed such a burden on himself after that event and created a façade of calm composure that could stretch incredibly far. At least that's what she suspected, Marcus rarely opened up and she refused to believe that the front he put up was the emotion he felt. Her child was too unemotional to be healthy.

Analisse was anticipating the changes a mate was sure to bring in her son, when she felt a hand lay atop hers. Startled out of her musings she looked to see her daughter prying her hand off the arm of the chair, which now bore an imprint of the death grip the Queen had on the furniture. She didn't even hear her children return that's how worked up she was. _What if something went wrong tonight?_

Smiling sheepishly at her youngest the Queen stood and paced around the room, trying to alleviate some nervous energy. She made sure to keep close to the windows.

Zivan sighed, both his mother and sister were on edge. Everyone was acting ridiculous, yes he understood that this was important and everything but he just didn't get why it was so serious. "Mom, just relax everything's fine" he called out.

The Queen turned to her younger son. He took after his mother with his shaggy auburn hair and bright blue eyes. With a youthful face, that betrayed his real age, he was quite dashing and Zivan knew that and used his loud personality to gain attention. The Queen smiled. "Of course everything's fine Zivan, it's just a mother's worry."

Huffing out a breath the male set down his snack, crossed the room and approached his mother. Swinging an arm around her shoulders he teased, " You're just upset that your little boy is all grown up now, huh?"

Zivan got the desired effect, his mother let out a shaky laugh. "He hasn't been little for years now" the Queen teased right back.

The cheeky demon grinned and dropped his arm. "Do you want some of my snack? I got sunflower seeds to munch on." He asked.

A disbelieving snort sounded through the room. Mother and son turned to the source of the noise, who was sitting crossed-legged on the couch holding an apple. "Yeah sunflower seeds and half of the kitchen. You're such a pig!" Claire enlightened. She loved to taunt her brother.

"I am not! I just eat when I'm bored."

"Ha! I had to twist your arm just to get this apple" she waved said fruit in front of her just to showcase her victory. She literally did twist Zivan's arm, a well-executed Indian burn made him drop the apple before he could devour it.

Even though Analisse was amused she knew she should stop the bickering now before it could get any worse. She opened her mouth to end their squabbling when she heard the large front doors creak open.

Whipping her head so fast it was just a blur, the Queen twisted around to see her oldest son walk inside, she barely registered the fact that her mate also walked through the door and headed towards her.

"My boy!" was all anyone heard before she ran over at an incredible speed, completely ignoring her husband and smothered her eldest son in a very motherly fashion. "Mother" he greeted stiffly. Taking no notice of his aversion to her hug the Queen continued, "Look at you" she gushed.

And look indeed. Marcus certainly wasn't lanky before but now he looked as mighty as a warrior. Wide shoulders made way for a very broad chest and a heavy set of arms. He truly looked like a very powerful and dangerous demon. His shoulder length raven black hair, a trait he did not get from either of his parents, framed his stoic face and off set his beautiful jade eyes. Eyes he got from her, she always mentioned proudly. And the height on her son was no laughing matter. He easily towered his own mother with a tallness of about 6 ft. 5".

"My word, you are so handsome Marcus!" His mother gushed while playfully pinching his cheek.

"You wound me, wife! How easily I am forgotten" the king interjected lightheartedly, holding a hand to his heart. Twisting her head slightly, Analisse regarded her husband briefly "Oh stop, I haven't forgotten about you, Tarik, but today is all about Marcus" and turned her attention back to her oldest. His pursed lips told her that she should release him now, but she was so happy her boy finally had a mate! With a final squeeze she let go of the Demon Prince.

As she stepped away from him a little to give him some room, Analisse noticed something different about Marcus but before she could ask her younger son beat her to it.

"What happened to your other clothes bro?" Zivan asked from his spot across the room. Shoving a few seeds into his mouth he continued his inquiry with a raised brow and a sly grin. " Lost them in the heat of passion?" Everyone knew what happened on the Quivering night, sex, and lots of it.

Claire glared at the idiot. Of course he would say something stupid, doesn't he know Marcus would have a short fuse tonight?

Marcus, however, calmly addressed him, his brother always tried to get a rise out of him but since he only insulted his clothing Marcus was unruffled. "They were ripped so I fashioned new ones. I wouldn't want to go walking around with torn clothing," he stated. Earlier the Demon King told his son that it would be best if the Queen didn't see him in disarray. She would fuss over him and ultimately blame the King so Marcus created new clothes with his magic and wished his tattered outfit to his quarters. He would not be getting rid of those not when they faintly carried her scent.

"Ripped, yeah I bet they were." Zivan commented suggestively.

"Oh shut up Zivan! Obviously they didn't fit him anymore. Stop being a jerk" Claire was getting fed up with that annoying brother of hers, just once she would like to see him act like he possessed a brain. Claire looked at her oldest brother and found him giving her a grateful stare. He didn't want to deal with Zivan's antics anymore than she did and the young female would do her best to protect Marcus from that. The two of them always were on the best of terms; the oldest and the youngest siblings had a strong relationship mainly because Marcus spoiled her. When she was a little girl he always held her, giving her plenty of attention and would use his powers to bring her gifts. He still did that, and Claire hoped that he still would even though he went through such a dramatic change.

Completely ignoring the exchange, the Queen pressed Marcus for more information. "So tell us, how did everything go? What does she look like?" his mother asked restlessly; the thought never crossed her mind that her son would not have fully bonded with his new mate.

His father, who had been strangely quite this whole time, advised Marcus to tell the truth about his mate to the family and he had no objections in doing so.

"She is beautiful Mother, with untamed brown hair" Marcus began, he could see the giddy excitement in his mother's eyes and was dreading the look he might see there after his next statement. "She was sleeping peacefully so I let her rest and came back here."

Confusion wrinkled the Queen's brows. "But why would you…" she drifted off as the only solution to his statement came to mind. Analissse glanced at her husband for confirmation and he nodded once while moving to stand close to her . The Queen gasped out "Oh my" when she realized what had happened and leaned on her mate.

Marcus could sense his little sister's comprehension and Zivan's confusion. Of course he wouldn't understand.

"So…" the younger demon drawled, tossing back a few more seeds. "Why didn't you just wake her up? Weren't you supposed to mate with her? That's what we've all been waiting for." Zivan finished. He was genuinely curious _Why would he wait?_

Marcus knew his brother didn't mean any harm in his statement but his beast was agitated with the conversation. It didn't like the fact that another male spoke so casually about its mate and it didn't like the reminder that Marcus left his mate.

This must have reflected in his face because he felt his parents tense beside him, and Marcus faintly heard glass vibrating with his growing unease.

_Wow he's clearly upset if Marcus let his energy affect the room like that_ the King observed while subtly tucking his wife closer to his side.

Luckily Claire caught on quickly, Marcus turned towards Zivan just in time to see his sister smack him up side the head causing the seeds he was eating to scatter on the floor.

"Think Zivan!" she half yelled, half whispered, "If he just left her that means his mate's a human." Realization transformed the demon's face into surprised disbelief, an expression Marcus was not pleased with. "Oh… Holy shit" Zivan whispered in an incredulous tone. "The council is going to give you hell, bro."

The Demon Prince pinned his brother with a heated stare. "No one will object to my mate." Marcus stated in a voice too calm to be believable. "They will accept her just as you will" His voice deepened into a low growl. His beast was thrashing about in the mental cages Marcus kept it locked in. The creature took Zivan's displeasure as a rejection towards its mate.

Zivan had enough sense to recognize his mistake. "Whoa Whoa I didn't mean it like that!" the younger demon defended with his hands raised. "I've got no problem with her. Having a human around here should be fun."

That did it. "She is not a toy!" Marcus roared, _How dare he use her for amusement._

_Protect mate!_

His beast pushed at him to defend their mate against any attack, verbal or physical. Marcus agreed that he didn't like anyone degrading her. _Protect! Fight!_ His beast would not be placated. Marcus could feel his fangs elongate and was aware of the immense power source that was brimming just beneath his skin. Fingernails turned to claws and bit into the flesh of his hands as he made two very tense fists. He was spiraling in a whirlwind of emotions and Marcus knew he needed to regain control from his beast. It had been a while since Marcus lost control and began the transformation into his demon self and no one wanted a repeat.

"Marcus," his father interrupted with a firm hand on his shoulder "What Zivan means is that we will accept your mate into our family with no reservations. We'll treat her just like any other member of this family. You should know that we would have no objections."

It took a few deep breaths for Marcus to register what his father said and even more for the creature to understand.

_Mate is safe? _

_Yes, there is no danger._ His beast needed assurance and frankly so did Marcus.

The beast trusted his answer. _Keep mate safe._ It was an order and strangely a request coming from the impulsive creature and Marcus felt rational thought return again.

And just like that the fire raging inside Marcus cooled as his beast retreated back into a dark corner of his mind. Of course he knew that, but his beast was so potent in his mind that its reactions were becoming his own.

Taking a calming breath, Marcus retracted his fangs and sheathed his claws, once again returning to a 'normal' state of mind.

"Be careful of what you say brother. My patience is extremely thin." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw 'their' Marcus come back. The atmosphere lightened up considerably. The royal couple relaxed their tense posture and Claire smiled at her older brother.

Zivan muttered an "I'm sorry" looking uncomfortable. His blue eyes caught his mother's irritated jade and he felt himself cringe. The look she gave him said 'You better do more young man.' He hated groveling. Huffing a loud breath, Zivan turned to his older, irritated brother "Look I didn't mean for you to get all bent out of shape. I really am sorry."

Marcus nodded, his jade eyes lightening with his growing calm, as he looked at his little brother. Zivan's playful spirit reappeared when he saw his brother's composed stance, void of any demon traits. Eyes brightening with excitement the younger male asked, "You want to take some of that buzz off? Show me what you got big bro." Standing at full height the brash demon spread his arms wide in a show of 'come get me'.

The Queen sighed. _That boy will never learn. Like father like son. _"Zivan" she reproached warningly. Claire decided that it was best to stay close to her parents just in case something happened. She left her spot for one further away from the second oldest.

"What? I'm honestly trying to help" no one saw Claire roll her eyes at that comment. "I'm sure he's got some extra energy to burn" Turning back to his level headed brother Zivan taunted him with raised brows "You've gone soft on me?" For as long as Zivan can remember his older brother would always take up the chance to spar with him; Marcus believed it would help the younger demon become a more skilled fighter. Zivan really looked forward to those matches.

Marcus began to stalk forward, approaching the mischievous demon. The older demon wasn't going to rise to the bait but he did want to 'burn off some energy'. Blue eyes danced with amused eagerness and Zivan adopted a defensive stance.

With a wave of his hand, Marcus sent pure energy across the distance between him and his brother, whips of green mist were directed at the male. Zivan hastily raised a barrier shield but he didn't have to. Marcus didn't attack. Instead he sent his energy into the seeds scattered at Zivans feet and with a concentrated thought he made the dead seeds sprout and bloom. Right in the middle of the royal household, on the hard wood floor stood a fully matured bunch of sunflowers.

Marcus walked towards the 'garden' and plucked the stem of the nearest flower. With the plant in hand, Marcus ignored his perplexed brother and approached his mother with the barest hint of amusement in his jade eyes. Holding out the flower Marcus presented it to the Demon Queen. "For you mother."

Laughing, the Queen accepted the flower with a delighted grin. "Thank you son, it's beautiful." She said, placing the sunflower under her nose and inhaling its earthly scent.

The Demon King was relieved; he didn't think he would be able to stop his son if he lost control; Marcus was too strong now. The shorter temper came with being a mated male and Tarik wasn't sure if Marcus could restrain himself but it turns out his son had incredible power and self-restraint.

"I am going to retire to my room. Goodnight." Marcus' tone left no room for arguments; he needed the solidarity of his room to gain control over his new self.

Placing a hand on his broad shoulder the King stopped his son's hasty retreat. "Do you want me to tell the council what happened tonight?"

"Must they know immediately?" Marcus asked even though he knew the answer.

"It's not law, but they will be waiting for some sort of news. And we both know the council members are not patient." Tarik reasoned.

The Demon Prince nodded his head slowly, "Tell them she is human."

"Marcus" Claire spoke up from beside their father. She looked up at her oldest brother. "If they hear that they will want to know how far the mating went." Claire was very talented in politics and it showed in how she handled civil disputes.

Marcus regarded his little sister. She was everything a female demon should look like. Lithe figure, graceful legs but he could only see the little girl that used to cling to his back and beg for 'piggy back rides'. He loved his little sister dearly, and both brothers were fiercely protective of her. Giving her a ghost of a smile, Marcus teased affectionately, "Is that your way of asking what happened tonight, sister?"

Blushing modestly, Claire admitted "Maybe. I am curious about my new sister"

Marcus was pleased with the way she spoke, like his mate was already a part of his family. He anticipated the day when the two of them would finally meet each other. The Demon Prince reached down and ruffled her auburn hair a bit. "I have been through the _Acknowledgement_ with her." And with that the raven haired male headed for the door, leaving the King to inform his family of all Marcus told him about during their walk in the forest.

Passing Zivan on the way out Marcus sent out a mental communication to his little brother. _Later_ he promised.

Zivan smiled with the guarantee of a rematch.

* * *

Marcus silently closed the doors to his suite. His rooms were on the second floor of the house, overlooking the garden. He quickly crossed the room and collapsed onto the bed where his clothes from earlier lay. He pressed his nose into the fabric and inhaled deeply. Sweet mangos filled his lungs and he purred contently. Staring out the window, Marcus looked towards the moon and wondered what to do next. He needed his mate but how does one introduce a human into the world of Demons?

* * *

So how was this chapter? I know nothing happens and it was long over due but please tell me what you thought. Juliet is coming back in the next chapter but I just couldn't stop writing about the royal family, they are so much fun.

Just a heads up, later on in the story I am going to change the rating from T to M because of 'adult themes'.

Happy Easter!

Alkedema.


	5. Chapter 5

Devotion and Desire Chapter 5

Sorry for the delay but I had some serious problems. First, fictionpress is being really weird and giving me a lot of problems, I haven't been able to see the story stats and every time I try to update a chapter it says that there's an error. So I have no idea if anyone read the last chapter.

Second I was seriously sick this week and that put me out of commission for a while. But it gave me an idea so I decided to somehow put that into the story.

Thank you for all the reviews: romanceaddict: I'm so glad you like the family. I really wanted them to be popular with the readers.

Letyne: I hope I didn't make you wait too long for this chapter. Enjoy!

gracie-p: I've had the idea for this story in my head for a while and I'm finally doing something about it. Hope you like this chapter.

I've also posted some pictures of the characters on my profile so go take a look.

There's some mature themes in this chapter so be warned. I am going to change the rating later in the story when things start to get interesting. And on with the story!

* * *

Juliet used school as an excuse not to think about that subject and decided it was time to leave for school; she gathered her backpack and car keys and headed off to college.

It must have rained at the campus because by the time Juliet arrived everything was soaked, _What a perfect Monday_ she thought sarcastically. And to top it off the college didn't have enough parking to accommodate its student population so Juliet had to drive around searching for a place to park her blue '96 Chevy Lumina.

Her car drove just fine, and the AC worked which was a plus, but it was big and clunky. Its hood was almost as long as her and it was a pain to park. It might be old and in need of a new paint job but Juliet really liked her car, maybe just for the fact that it was entirely hers. She worked almost everyday as a cashier to pay for the insurance and gas but it gave her a sense of pride.

The frustrated student sighed as she pulled into a parking space near the baseball field, which was ridiculously far from her first class. Juliet turned off the car and glanced in the rear-view mirror to fix her hair. Hazel eyes stared back at her. Juliet wasn't diluted she knew she wasn't beautiful but she wasn't ugly either, she was just average, and she was ok with that. Her shoulder length light brown hair fell in waves and luckily for her Juliet had to do little to style it. Juliet had her hair cut into layers so it would make her face look less round.

Patting down a couple pieces on top Juliet thought about her dream again. She couldn't stop thinking about the pleasure she felt eve though it was just a dream. Her nipples were embarrassingly still hard, chafing against the material of her bra. Juliet shifted and adjusted her bra to bring some relief. It had been too long since she gotten any action and apparently her body had resorted to creating vivid fantasies that left her hot.

Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, Juliet locked up her car, put on her backpack and plugged in her earphones. The college student listened to one of her favorite calming bands as she began to make the journey across the wet and slippery campus.

-0-

Erika stood outside the school's library waiting for her best friend to show up so they could both walk to health together. Her and Juliet became attached at the hip during high school, spending most of their free time together and it was by luck that the both ended up attending the same college. They naturally synced their schedules so they could have some classes together. Their friendship didn't drift apart after graduation like most, a fact they both enjoyed.

Erika raked her fingers through her red hair and tried to tame the thing, her hair always got frizzy whenever there was moisture in the air, which unfortunately for her, living in Florida, was a regular routine.

She took off her backpack and leaned against the wall, she decided against sitting down on a bench seeing how she didn't want to walk around with a big wet spot on her butt. The entire campus was soaked after this morning's rain. Erika closed her eyes and recalled the health facts she studied for today's quiz.

Two large hands covered her eyes and Erika stiffened. _What the..?_

Somewhere in front of her, a male voice hummed the Jeopardy 'think' music and the brown haired girl relaxed, as she understood. She was supposed to guess whose hands were blocking her vision.

Well that was easy; only one person with large hands would do this. "Alex" she said with a smile in her voice.

"How'd ya guess?" Alex teased as he returned her sight. Standing 6 feet tall with shaggy, dirty blonde hair, her skater boyfriend leaned down and gave her a kiss. Erika grinned up at him, Alex was so much fun to be with, he always made her laugh.

He leaned next to her on the library's wall, "How was your first class?" Erika asked.

Alex shrugged his shoulders while tossing back his hair out of his eyes "Ehh it was ok, math is real boring so I slept through most of it" he finished with a grin. Erika should have expected that answer, she huffed at him "Then don't come to me when you fail the next test."

He lifted his lean shoulders again; not caring about his grades, and asked, "Where's Juliet? She's usually here by now"

Erika couldn't stop the twinge of annoyance when he asked that. Alex and Juliet had dated in high school and while her best friend had given her the okay to date him, Erika couldn't help but think there might be some hidden feelings between the two. The redhead knew that Juliet didn't think of Alex in a romantic way, but she wasn't always so sure about her boyfriend's feelings.

"She's not here yet. Maybe the rain held her up." Erika replied as she fixed her hair again.

"Stop fussing with it, your hair looks fine." Alex said, his light brown eyes inspecting her red locks.

"It's frizzy but thank you anyway" Erika responded. She turned fully to her boyfriend and leaned up to give him a kiss. Before she could pull away, Alex grabbed her butt firmly to keep her in place. Smiling against his lips, the redhead let him deepen the kiss. Her boyfriend had a great tongue Erika thought as she sighed into his mouth.

"Eww! Get a room." Called a voice from behind them.

The couple broke apart and Erika twisted her head to see Juliet staring at them with a huge smile on her face. Alex wouldn't let go of her; "Go away!" he called back childishly. Erika pushed at his lean chest and he released her with one last squeeze of her round cheeks.

"Hey, where were you? I'm surprised you're the last one to show up, miss-anal." Alex teased his long time friend.

"I had to park all the way by the baseball fields and walk through wet grass just to get here. My shoes are soaked. And I'm not anal Alex, I'm punctual." Juliet punched him in the arm at that comment. She turned to Erika, "Are you ready for the quiz?"

"I guess, Pr. Max's quizzes are always hard. It's like he words the question so weird and it constantly confuses me."

"There's a quiz today?" Alex asked the two girls.

"Yeah and I guess you didn't study. You spend too much time on your skateboard." Juliet told him; she checked her phone "Guys we better get to class, it starts soon."

Alex took Erika's hand and led the way to the science building, making a path around the puddles on the sidewalk. Juliet walked on the other side of her best friend feeling slightly left out; she wanted to be in a relationship again.

Stepping into the air-conditioned building was a sharp contrast to the muggy air outside, both girls shivered. Their health class was on the third floor so making the healthy choice, (get it?) Erika persuaded them to take the stairs today instead of the elevator.

The couple climbed the stairs first while Juliet lagged behind. Alex let go of Erika's hand and moved it to her hip; the redhead glanced up at him and smiled. _They're such a cute couple _Juliet thought. When they first started dating Juliet had to admit it was awkward but eventually she got over it.

They trudged up the stairs talking idly when Juliet suddenly lost her footing. The bottom of her shoes had gotten wet from her walk across campus and that caused her to slip on the stairs.

_Oh god no!_ Juliet thought as she started falling backwards. She franticly tried to grab the rail to stop her fall but she couldn't reach. She started to fall backwards, the weight of her backpack dragging her down faster. Her wide hazel eyes got a great glimpse of the ceiling, and Juliet was dimly aware of a wonderful scent as the world tilted. Just when she thought she was going to make an embarrassing tumble down the stairway, someone behind her caught her and set her upright.

Juliet felt strong arms wrap themselves around her waist and shoulders as her savior supported her weight, using their body to stop her fall.

Juliet's heart was racing, _that was close. _Turning around she wanted to thank the person who saved her from certain humiliation and injury, but no one was there. In fact no one was in the stairwell at all, her friends must have continued on the next flight and not even noticed that she lagged behind.

Juliet was confused, she could have sworn someone helped her; in fact she was certain of it. Where was the person who caught her? Did they just disappear into thin air?

"Hello?" she called, her voice echoed in the stairwell.

No answer. Juliet felt idiotic talking to no one.

_I'm losing my damn mind_ she thought with a confused expression on her slightly flushed face.

Like a rush of blood to the head, Juliet pressed a hand to her forehead as a slight dizzying pain went through her skull.

_It does not matter._

Of course it didn't matter, as long as she didn't fall there was nothing to worry about. Juliet decided to just forget about her mysterious rescue.

Juliet shook her head and continued on to health class. Her heart was calm once more as she caught up with her friends.

* * *

Marcus however was far from calm. His chest was heaving, as he stood there in the stairway, invisible to all. His heart pounded in a rapid rhythm and his entire body was tense. He took a deep, steadying breath and smelled her delicious scent still clinging on his clothes. As quickly as it began, the incident was over with her departure.

He had been at the royal estate sorting through a mountain of paperwork that covered his desk. As a King to be, Marcus was given immense responsibility in ruling the kingdom, settling disputes and other various matters that allotted into numerous piles of paperwork.

The prince was in the middle of composing a letter of grievances to the Fey King when he felt a strange sensation; there was an alertness in his mind. Marcus felt as if he were falling out of his chair, as if he had lost his sense of balance but he was firmly planted on the ground. His beast stirred, alarmed and tense; Marcus tried to grasp the source of the problem.

Mate

Marcus' heart clenched painfully when he realized that the problem wasn't with him, through the protection spell he cast, the Demon Prince became aware that his mate was not safe. Claws unsheathed and fangs filled his mouth. Beast and demon were merging, their thought process was simple; their mate was in danger, they had to protect.

In a flurry of unrestrained panic, Marcus concentrated on the connection and willed himself to his mate.

He found himself at the bottom of a flight of stairs surrounded by her mango scent that was tinted with fear; it was mixed with the smell of rainwater and grass.

She was falling down towards him in what seemed like slow motion. His immortal eyes observed and processed the situation with inhumane speed. Judging by the position of her feet, his mate must have slipped on the stairs; she would certainly be injured if she fell so Marcus rushed up the stairs prepared to catch her.

Luckily the Demon Prince was cool under pressure and with his sharp intellect he positioned himself discreetly behind her while placing an invisibility spell over himself. She could not see him because in his rush Marcus was semi-transformed into his demon self. Appearing at her side looking like a monster would terrify her.

As she fell into his outstretched arms, Marcus placed his arms around her waist and shoulders and gently stopped her descent, bracing her body against his own. His beast rumbled with satisfaction at her proximity and Marcus sighed inaudibly at her safety. Her light brown locks wrapped themselves around his arm and covered her face but Marcus got a glimpse of his human's face.

His mate looked at him, well actually through him, but he was finally able to see her eyes. Wonderful hazel eyes that were both brown and green, each color vibrant and independent while blending together perfectly. When his jade eyes connected with hers Marcus felt it as a physical blow.

Stunning.

Her features weren't overly gorgeous, as he suspected the night they met; in fact they were simply average. She simply stunned him with her wide eyes and tropical scent. His fangs grew even longer as his body became hard with arousal. Even with the obstruction of her bag, her body was so tantalizing close to his that he could feel her the heat of her skin through her clothing. In the brief period of time that it took for her to realize she was no longer falling, Marcus' dazed jade eyes studied the human in his arms.

Her figure was fuller than what is average for a human, it gave her curvy hips and a waist he could fit his large hands around. Her head was tilted up towards the ceiling, causing her silken hair to fall back, barring the line of her throat to him. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her creamy neck. Her pulse beat swiftly and her breathing was rapid, each intake lifted her breasts invitingly.

She cast a spell over him, connecting him to her and she knew nothing of it. She touched his very soul, shook his very being and Marcus found himself very pleased with that.

This creature, this mortal woman was his soul mate, the light to his darkness. She would be the one to tame his inner beasts, both metaphorical and literal. The sheer joy of finally having his destined mate in his arms was beyond measure.

As the Demon Prince held his mate in his strong embrace, he declared that he would do anything to protect her. His way of thinking was rapidly transforming, shaping itself into that of a clearly infatuated male demon and Marcus welcomed the change. This human became so essential, so precious to him and he didn't even know her name.

_Soon_ he promised himself. _Soon I will know all about her._

He regrettably let her go and backed down a few steps as his mate regained her balance by clutching the handrail. She looked up and down the stairwell, no doubt searching for the cause of her rescue. Marcus closed his eyes when her movement sent her sweet aroma his way. He would never be able to forget her unique aroma.

"Hello?"

He stopped breathing; his heart skipped a beat and slowed dramatically.

Her soft voice caused his eyes to snap open; jade orbs glowing bright when the sound first brushed his sensitive ears. The sweet lilt of her voice, the rhythm of that timid question made his gut clenched tightly. His body swelled with excitement, answering her siren's call. Low and soft, her voice spread through him and he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from calling out to her.

Her cheeks were pink and her brow was creased; she was confused. Marcus shook himself from the clouded haze he was wrapped in and realized he needed to remedy the situation. He sent a compulsion into her mind to make her ignore the strange circumstances of his involvement.

_It does not matter _he commanded in gentle tones, making her forget the incident.

Manipulating his mate in such a way left a bad taste in his mouth, Marcus did not like to deceive her but this was necessary. He would introduce himself to her on his own terms.

All too soon she left his sight, continuing up the stairs, leaving him to catch his breath alone in the stairwell. Without her presence he felt empty and chilled, which was strange because a demons body temperature constantly adjusted itself to accommodate outside weather, to continuously keep the demon comfortable.

Marcus sighed. This was nothing more than a minor accident, she would have gotten a bruise at the most, but his stomach churned with the thought of her being injured; he actually winced at the mental picture. How would he survive being mated if he became so distraught over a slight mishap?

A fully mated demon pair had complete access into each other's thoughts and feeling, each partner shared minds and they were always aware of what the other was doing. Through this connection a mated couple could feed power into one another, if he was fully bonded with his human she would always be safe, even from herself.

Pinching the bridge between his eyes Marcus slowly began to calm himself. He glimpsed a scrap of white at his feet and looked to see a paper lying on the ground. Marcus picked it up and it was saturated with his mate's scent. This was hers; gently he unfolded it and scanned its contents. There were numerous facts about the human body hand-written in black ink. Marcus' hands actually shook as he read what was at the top of the paper.

Juliet Chase.

Her name.

His mate was named Juliet. Marcus felt his lips curve upward; _How fitting._

A human and a demon certainly were two star-crossed lovers, but this tale would not end with her death he vowed.

The Demon Prince refolded the paper and placed it in his pocket, he would keep this with him.

* * *

Where is it?

Juliet looked all through her backpack but she couldn't find her study notes for health. She could've sworn she had them this morning. _What happened to them?_

The brown haired girl didn't know but luckily she shared notes with Erika before the quiz started. With a aggravated sigh Juliet focused on studying, unlike Alex, she cared a lot about her grades.

* * *

_Finally_ Juliet thought as she stood from the uncomfortable desk and stretched. She was done with classes for today, Erika and Alex weren't in her last class, and without them she found herself drifting off. She yawned her way through her three classes and now it was time for lunch, and after that work.

Juliet groaned, she hated her job. She was a cashier at a local department store, forced to deal with rude costumers and long hours day after day. Running her fingers through her hair, Juliet packed up her things and headed across campus to her car. _Subway sounds good for lunch _she thought.

The teen had just enough time to eat lunch then change into her uniform and head to work. Mondays were always rough for her.

Juliet repeated the mantra 'no work, no car'; she needed the money because she had to pay her insurance and gas all on her own. With a full house and low paying jobs, Juliet knew her parents couldn't help her out financially.

Putting her earphones on, she listened to her music loudly as to drown out all other noise and walked quickly to her car.

* * *

Beep. Beep. "Your total is $57.39" Juliet said robotically as she scanned the last of the items.

There isn't much excitement when you're a cashier and Juliet was bored stiff. The store was quiet on Monday afternoons so the hazel-eyed teen played on her phone during down times. She shoved her iphone into her back pocket when she saw the elderly woman come into her lane.

Taking the credit card from the costumer, she swiped it through the machine, pressed the correct keys and handed the card and receipt back to the woman. "Thank you, have a nice day." she yawned to the woman. Her hazel eyes were droopy with fatigue and she rubbed them to alleviate the sting. She was only halfway through her 6-hour shift and Juliet was ready for a nap. This was going to be a long day.

She leaned against counter in her little station and resumed the game she was playing on the phone. Occasionally Juliet had to glance up to make sure her manager wasn't watching her. Juliet moved her bangs aside as she searched for Rick, the meanest manager she ever had.

For some reason everything she did could be improved upon in his eyes, he was always criticizing her. But what made Juliet really mad was the fact that she couldn't defend herself against anything he blamed her for. All her friends at the store all agreed and made fun of him behind his back.

"Excuse Me," said an irritated deep voice in front of her.

Juliet snapped her head up to see a tall bald man on the other side of the counter. "I'm sorry sir. How can I help you?" The man had no items but she was required to ask the stupid line to every costumer she saw.

"Yeah you can help me by putting all the money in the register into the bag" he sneered, dropping a bag onto the counter and pulling out a black gun from his pants.

The blood drained from Juliet's face. _Oh God_, She was being robbed. Her managers always said if the situation arised to give the thief the money but the wide-eyed woman was frozen. She was too scared to move, her heart was pounding loudly in her ears.

"Now! Open it." the thief waved the gun in her face and Juliet snapped out of her panic. With shaky fingers she pressed the code to open the cash drawer. Juliet removed the entire drawer and began stuffing the money into the bag.

_Where the hell is everybody? Somebody help!_ Wasn't there anyone watching this robbery? ; She desperately prayed for someone to come to her rescue soon.

The petrified teen must have been moving too slow because the bald man pushed the gun into her side as a threat. Juliet let out a terrified whimper.

"Come on, come on. I don't want to use this gun on a pretty little thing like you. Hurry up!" he commanded.

She handed him the money filled bag with unsteady arms; the thief used his free hand to grab the bag while he pressed the gun deeper into her side. "You keep your mouth shut" and with that last threat he turned to run out the store.

But his plan was foiled by an extremely muscular man blocking his path. The man was huge and intimidating, his presence was startling but defiantly welcome. Dark black hair obscured her vision of his face but Juliet could clearly determine that this man was a predator.

The newcomer grabbed the gun from the crook's hand and tossed it aside like it was a child's toy. "What the hell?!" the gunman yelled. He began to panic as he realized he was caught and tried to run around the dark haired man.

The huge stranger simply snatched the bald man by the shoulders to halt his escape and placed a well-aimed blow to the back of his head, he effectively cut off the thief's mobility. The large man dropped the body, leaving robber in a crumpled heap on the floor.

Her savior's movements were unhurried and fluid, he moved like it was no effort on his part at all. Almost with lazy ease the black haired man answer her call for help.

Juliet let out a breath she wasn't aware of holding. It was over; she was saved. This mystery man saved her. He was standing with his broad back to her looking down at the now unconscious gunman; his breathing was deep and steady.

He slowly turned around, a graceful movement of his muscular body and her breath caught in her throat. Juliet stared in stunned silence.

_This is the most gorgeous man I have ever seen _she thought vaguely.

* * *

AN: I bet you know who that mystery man is and yes you're probably right but you'll just have to wait for the next chapter.

So how was it? I still can't tell if anyone is reading this story so if you could help me out by writing a review I would appreciate that.

Again I apologize for any grammar mistakes.

Alkedema.


	6. Chapter 6

Devotion and Desire Chapter 6

Please don't hate me! I'm really sorry that this update is late, I try to aim for once a week but for some reason this chapter was difficult to write. I just hope that doesn't reflect in my writing, because this is an important chapter and I want it to be good for you guys.

I wont write anymore since I made you guys wait so long.

_He slowly turned around, a graceful movement of his muscular body and her breath caught in her throat. Juliet stared in stunned silence. _

_This is the most gorgeous man I have ever seen she thought vaguely._

A ripple of excitement went through Juliet as she looked at the man before her.

His face was handsome; everything about him was the epitome of masculine beauty.

His hair was black as night and most of it was drawn back and tied at the nape of his neck but pieces of it fell into his face, making slashes across his forehead and cheeks.

His face was like an angel's, square jaw, straight nose and drool worthy bone structure. But his face could easily be changed into a beautiful devil. Power and strength chiseled his aristocratic features and led to a sensual mouth.

His pink lips were slightly parted and she couldn't help but think what they would feel like, were they soft?

Juliet dragged her eyes away from that temptation; her breath caught in her throat the instant her hazel eyes met his hooded greens.

His eyes were brilliant and proud, sharp and watchful like a predator's; two endless pools of green that seemed ageless, too old for his twenty something face.

No, green was too broad a word, his eyes were many shades of green, all different contrasts blending together to make the most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen on an actual person.

His green eyes captured her attention immediately with the way they appeared to see right through her, they observed so much. His calm gaze made her shivery and strangely hot, his stare was like a physical touch.

_Am I really getting hot just by looking at his eyes? God I'm so pathetic. _Juliet shook herself out of it and studied the rest of him.

His body was just as spectacular, his lightly tanned skin was laced with thick muscle and covered by expensive looking dark clothes. His gray sweater clung to his impressive chest and Juliet didn't even think to realize the fact that he was wearing a _sweater_ in _Florida_ that's how entranced she was.

He effortlessly towered over her; his six-foot-five, broad frame easily crowded her even though he was on the other side of the counter.

Her eyes focused on his hands, they were obviously powerful but Juliet could tell they were also graceful, just like the rest of him.

He was a muscular man with visible strength but he moved swiftly like a dancer, each action was carefully planned out. Never in her life had she seen a man one-tenth as good looking as him.

Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome moved suddenly breaking Juliet out of her ogling and the teen was left staring at the gunman, the back of his bald head had a nasty welt forming. _Serves him right_ Juliet thought angrily.

Juliet blinked rapidly as she thought about the attack. That was the scariest thing to ever happen to her, she could've died! Her heart was still thundering and her breathing was shallow, of course the sexy man in front of her could also be the reason for that. In a way Juliet was thankful for his god-like features because they distracted her from the unnerving situation.

Her rescuer quickly stepped away from the man, and elegantly maneuvered himself behind the counter to stand beside her. He stepped into her line of sight so once again she could not see the thief.

If she looked straight ahead she could only see his dark silk shirt that covered a broad chest and Juliet was sure that the top of her head barely met his shoulder, he was tall and her 5ft 3 frame made it even more pronounced.

His aroma moved with him and when he stepped up to her she was hit with a wave of dark spice. Whatever cologne he used must have been expensive because she had never smelt anything so wonderful. It was like burnt cinnamon.

He hesitated before her, shifting his stance and parting his lips a couple times like he was about to speak. This was such a sharp contrast to the level-headed Robin Hood he was moments ago.

Clearing his throat he asked, "Are you alright?"

His deep smooth baritone washed over her like a calming wave, it returned some color to her pale cheeks. Juliet could only nod at the man, she was so overwhelmed with his close proximity, with her own reaction to this stranger and with the robbery itself, which started this all. She was on an emotion overload.

"Are you sure?" He questioned quietly, his gaze drifted down from my face to my torso. "Is your side injured?"

Juliet didn't realize she was holding her side until he pointed it out to her; the brunette looked down to see that her trembling hand had bunched up her uniform shirt. She was sure it was going to bruise but thankfully nothing more than that. Rubbing the offended area a bit, Juliet replied with a shaky voice "Not really, it just stings."

She slowly raised her hazel eyes to meet his stunning green and she was startled with what she found. His eyes danced wildly, the green in them darkened dangerously and they now appeared to have a red tinge to them. _How odd._

"What did the bastard do to you?" he demanded through clenched teeth; Juliet jumped at his question, it was laced with venom. The store lights shadowed his sharply angled face and he looked frightening but she couldn't bring herself to be properly scared because he looked like an avenging angel right now.

He started to lean towards the brunette, his large hand reached out as if to meet with her own hand resting on her side.

Juliet's breath caught. He was so near and despite his size and his obvious displeasure, she could only stare at him. She eagerly waited for his next move.

"What the hell happened here?"

Juliet gasped as she saw Rick barreling down towards her station; he looked livid. His face was puffy and red and his spare tire was heaving in and out with his labored breathing.

The couple broke apart and the dark haired man stiffened and turned to the interruption; he moved his body almost protectively in front of Juliet as if to shield her from Rick. She peeked out around his back to see her boss. Her rescuer's face must have matched his attitude because Rick stopped in his tracks and turned a little pale.

When neither man spoke nor moved Juliet thought it was time to intervene. "Rick that man just tried to rob me" she stated as she coolly pointed to the heap of the bald man lying on the floor.

She was surprised at how calm she was now and knew immediately that the cause was the gorgeous man in front of her. For some reason, despite the air of danger he carried, she wasn't afraid of him. Wary, yes, but not afraid. It was like somehow she knew that none of his tension was aimed at her; Juliet felt instantly safe with him.

Rick seemed to have recovered himself as he went to look at the thief. "I suppose you're the reason why I have an unconscious man lying on floor of my store" her manager stated looking back to the muscle man.

Juliet's mouth opened with a pop. _Is he serious? That's all he's worried about? _

She huffed out a breath, about ready to chew Rick out and explain what happened when the man in front of her grasped her hand sending shock waves of awareness through her arm. He squeezed it gently, silently saying 'I will handle it from here'. Juliet closed her mouth and was disappointed when he let go. She shifted so she could get a clear view of her boss beyond her rescuer's broad back.

The dark haired man straightened to his full impressive height and said in a quiet composed voice "That man used lethal force to rob your store. I stopped him from leaving."

Rick genuinely looked surprised as he grasped the situation. He looked down at the body on the floor and to the gun lying a few feet away; his attention turned to the man in front of her then to Juliet herself.

The teen nodded her head in agreement, confirming his story. Rick pulled out his walkie-talkie and paged security to come to her station. After he hung up, Rick turned back to the mismatched couple and said, "The both of you come with me."

That didn't sound good. _What happens now?_ Juliet wondered as she began to walk around the store counter.

"And he hurt Juliet."

Juliet froze at the sound of his voice. She felt a strange thrill when he said her name in that wonderful, slightly accented tone of his. _Wait, how does he know my name?_

"She looks fine to me. We'll get her looked at when the cops come. Now go to my office and wait for someone there, I've got to take care of things here." Rick completely brushed aside any concern for his employee and started to follow the procedure of when a robbery occurred. Shut down the store, get costumers out, ect.

Juliet spared two seconds for her pig of a boss then began walking to his office in the back of the store. "Are you coming with me?" she asked the strange man behind her. He hadn't moved ever since Rick showed up.

Green eyes stared intently on her face as he nodded. The dark haired man gracefully moved around the counter and quickly stood beside her. Juliet gaped at his stride; he moved so fluidly, it was mesmerizing and a bit disconcerting. There was something about him, something animalistic. He just didn't carry himself as other people did.

Juliet could hear the sirens as she led them to Rick's office. The cops were going to question her about what happened and, _oh god,_ they were going to call her mom. She could practically hear her mother's theatrics already.

The teen wondered about her rescuer, mainly where did he come from? He just appeared out of nowhere but she wasn't complaining, without his impressive skill, who knows what could have happened. The mysterious man was trailing silently behind her; he was so close to her that Juliet could feel his body heat and smell his cologne.

"Are you cold?" he asked, startling the brunette with his unexpected question. Hazel eyes shot to his "What? No, no I'm fine."

"You are shaking" he stated staring down at her, he had an expression of concern on his beautiful face that creased his brows. Juliet didn't realize it but she was in fact shaking, it must be the adrenaline still in her system, soon she should be feeling the low of the after effects.

"Uhh, I guess its just shock." Juliet answered.

With her statement the model before her suddenly took off his gray sweater and handed it to her. Wow. That was breath taking; his hands grabbed the edge of his sweater and he pulled the material over his head, exposing his gorgeous torso to her hungry gaze. Everything this guy did captured her attention and left her mind in desperate need of more brain cells; she just hoped she wasn't drooling.

He held the sweater out for her. "Please put it on. I don't want you to be cold," he murmured. His stunning green eyes held genuine concern as he looked at her hopefully.

Who could say no to that? "Ok then," she replied, she took the sweater from his outstretched hand. Juliet tried not to touch his hand to save herself from further embarrassment but it was like his hand just appeared under hers. Her small hand was on top of his big warm one and once again she felt that strange electric shock pass through her at their contact.

Juliet jerked her hand away and grabbed the sweater from him. "Thank you" she said softly. He just nodded his head watching intently as she put on his sweater; apparently he didn't notice that weird shock.

As soon as the material was over her head, she immediately inhaled. It smelt just like him; she was warm and toasty now. His sweater was huge on her but she didn't mind. It was like just being near him made everything better; her worries didn't seem so bad now. Juliet kept her head down and pretended to be preoccupied by playing with the sleeves of his sweater. It was made of a smooth and most likely expensive material.

"Nothing like this has ever happened to me before." Juliet explained as they continued on to the back of the store. She wanted to hear more of his voice so she just began talking.

"And nothing like this will _ever_ happen to you again, mate. I promise."

The brunette never heard her rescuer's whispered words but that didn't matter, she was certainly going to feel the effects of his statement and the protection it ensued.

Juliet didn't really expect an answer from him but she sighed softly when he just continued to walk silently next to her. Something must be seriously wrong with her. She just had a gun pulled on her and here she was trying to get this guy's attention. Maybe she was just desperate for any man to come into her life.

"How did you know my name?" Juliet blurted out. Ok so she really was desperate, and stupid. _What a great way to scare a gorgeous guy_ Juliet she rebuked herself.

His eyebrows disappeared into his black hairline and he looked surprised but not offended. "Your name tag says 'Juliet' so I assumed that was your name." He gently answered.

Duh

Her cheeks flooded with red embarrassment. How could she have forgotten the stupid name tag that she was required to wear? "Oh yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout that." _Please, please don't think I'm an idiot _she finished mentally.

"That's alright" he assured her with a small smile, softening the harsh lines of his face. Juliet noticed that he seemed to be a very calm person but her intuition told her that he was hiding behind that mask; she could see it in his green eyes.

Juliet stared at him with a confused expression when he extended his hand out towards her, as if to shake her hand. What is he doing? She wondered.

She saw a gold band on his pinky finger, the ring was inscribed with some kind of symbol and dimly Juliet was aware that his ring finger was bare. _Yes! At least he's not married but most likely he has a model for a girlfriend. _

The brunette was brought out of her musings when he spoke again. "Please forgive me, I have not introduced myself. I am Marcus and it is very nice to meet you Juliet."

Juliet smiled at the awkwardness of the situation. She replied with "It's nice to meet you too," and brought her hand up to shake his larger one.

The electric current that always seemed to occur at their touch was a dull buzz now. The heat of his hand seeped into her cold fingers and she couldn't help but notice that their hands seemed to fit. As clichéd as that sounds it was true, her small one curved into the palm of his large one perfectly.

Juliet peeked a glance at him. His eyes were focused on their joined hands and a look of satisfaction covered his features. He was so handsome that she couldn't stop staring; he was too perfect to be real. His gaze shifted back to her and once again Juliet was gifted with a heart-stopping smile.

Marcus slowly loosened his grip; Juliet's hand twitched in his grasp as if it didn't want to let go but she slid her hand out of his grip and let it go limp at her side. The limb was tingling with his warmth.

"Uh, Rick's office is right here." She said lamely. Juliet turned and started walking down the hall in the back of the store. She really hoped he didn't think she was crazy; there was something about him that turned her brain to mush. It probably was his muscles, good god he was gorgeous.

Her legs felt like they were made of rubber as she led them down the hall and she had a hard time keeping her balance. _This must be the after effects of the adrenaline._

As soon as Juliet finished that thought, the floor disappeared from under her. She felt the swooping sensation in the pit of her stomach that alerted her to the fact that she would soon kiss the ground.

Marcus' arm looped around her waist and held her securely to his chest, effectively halting her tumble. "Steady" he breathed in her ear. Juliet's cheeks flamed with humiliation; she couldn't ignore the contact he had on her just under the ribs. She could feel the hard muscle of his broad chest against her back and she could feel his steely biceps as she instinctively gripped his arms tightly.

The warmth of his body heat enveloped her in a cocoon of protection, she felt unbelievably safe in his arms. There was a blanket of tension in the way he held her; he was guarded with his touch as if he was holding himself back.

Juliet peeked up at him through her eyelashes and found his face only inches from hers. Her breathing began to accelerate and his nostrils flared and his green eyes widened. She watched mesmerized as he straightened himself and placed her feet firmly on the ground. But he didn't back away from her or let go of his grip on her, instead he turned so they were face to face.

And this would be the moment that Juliet would remember as the time she completely broke down.

For some reason, looking at his face so concerned for her just opened up the flood gates and Juliet began to cry. All the terror she felt just came crashing down on her. She flung herself into Marcus' arms and bawled her eyes out. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her head into his broad chest and let the tears flow. It was a belated and an irrational reaction she was having but thankfully Marcus just held her while she had 'a moment'.

His arms circled her waist and held her upright as she soaked his shirt. Marcus didn't seem to mind holding her, in fact he was rubbing circles into her back as a comforting gesture. Juliet's head rested on his sternum and she could feel his deep, steady breathing, she tried to copy it but with no luck.

His head was bent low to her ear and Juliet could hear him humming a soothing melody. His beautiful voice was something Juliet could grab a hold of and keep herself afloat, he was a pillar of strength and she took the comfort he was offering. She was positive any tune sang in his deep smooth voice would calm her down and it worked, eventually the tears stopped.

She sniffed a couple of times before she could take a deep calming breath and it was filled with his intoxicating aroma. Juliet was convinced that she would never forget that smell.

"I'm sorry" she choked out, her voice was still thick with tears. God, what was wrong with her today, she was on an emotional roller coaster. She must look like a mess with puffy eyes and tear wet cheeks.

The brunette lifted her head off his warm chest and met his green eyes. She wiped the tears from her eyes and his confused expression became clear to her. "Sorry for what?" he asked genuinely perplexed, as if she didn't just use him as a human tissue. The teary eyed girl could feel the words rumble through his chest.

"Sorry for crying all over you." Juliet clarified for him. "Ah, that is no problem Juliet" he assured her, finally realizing her source of discomfort.

She removed her death grip from his neck and moved her hands to rest over his pectoral muscles, right above his pounding heart. She wiped her eyes again before resting her head back on his chest. Neither of them seemed ready to break away from the other just yet.

"I've probably ruined your shirt and all your stuff," the brunette mumbled into his shirt, hiding her face from his view. She still couldn't believe she cried all over this dazzling model.

She could feel Marcus look down at her, "I don't understand," he whispered still keeping his hold around her waist.

Juliet lifted a hand and pressed it against his breast pocket, she felt his stiffen under her touch. She moved her fingers and they both heard the crinkle of paper. "I hope my tears didn't ruin what's in your pocket," she elaborated, finally looking back up at him. She had to see his clean-cut features; it was too hard not to look at him.

Hazel eyes widened as she saw his cheeks darken. _Is he blushing?_ When ever she blushed it always looked ugly and splotchy but on him it looked ethereal, beautiful. It seemed Marcus truly stunning no matter what he did, lucky guy.

He cleared his throat before he asked, "Is this the office?" pointing to a door to his right. Whatever was in that pocket must have been personal and Juliet could take a hint so she didn't question his obvious change of subject.

By now her breathing had evened out and she was once more composed. Hazel eyes lingered on his face as she stepped away from the warm embrace. His muscled arms slowly released her and the moment was broken.

She opened Rick's door and promptly collapsed in one of Rick's plastic chairs, her legs still felt weak. Marcus followed her into the room, he left the door open and filled the seat next to her. "Are you feeling better," he questioned in a soft voice.

"Yes, now that I'm sitting down."

Marcus nodded his head and they lapsed into silence, waiting for someone to come.

Juliet began to think about what she would tell her mom; it would be best if she didn't mention the gun, her mom was going to be hysterical when she found out about this, no point in making it worse. She wasn't too worried about the cops asking her questions; they were probably watching the security tape right now so all she had to do was just tell them her story. But she was nervous about what the store was going to do. What happened to employees after a robbery?

Well, attempted robbery, Marcus stopped the thief before he could get away with the money. He was so quick to take that guy down even though he had a gun and he just appeared out of nowhere to help her. Marcus was defiantly a mystery but for some odd reason Juliet couldn't work up a proper reaction to his behavior.

Something about him connected with her on a primal level, a level in which she couldn't put the feelings into words, it just felt natural. Juliet felt so familiar and comfortable with him. She didn't know what his personality was like, she didn't know much about him at all but still Juliet felt peaceful in his company.

His unwavering attention to her was confusing. Why would a stranger care so much for someone he just met? Maybe he took this whole 'Good Samaritan' thing seriously and it was no more than friendly concern. But when he looked at her, Juliet read the sincerity in his eyes and it didn't look clinical.

She was 99% sure that her trust in him had nothing to do with his god-like looks. That last 1% was for the fact that she was a woman who was irrationally attracted to a gorgeous and very well muscled guy.

She studied her companion; one long leg was crossed over the other and his hands rested on each side of the chair. His black hair framed his face and from this point of view Juliet could see how long his hair was. It fell between his shoulder blades and it was held with a leather tie. She didn't like long hair on guys because most of the time it looked disgusting but Marcus pulled it off. It fit well with his old world charm. He spoke with an odd cadence and his manners were more refined than anyone she ever met, that was just another quirk she could add to the list of mysteries of Marcus.

Juliet didn't realize she was staring at him until he turned his head and met her eyes. His black hair partially blocked her view of his stunning greens and she had an irresistible urge to brush his hair back.

"It shouldn't be much longer now." Marcus remarked, Juliet wouldn't question him, he appeared like the type of guy who was always right, always sure of himself. He seemed untouchable, like nothing could penetrate his defenses. And boy did he have them. Juliet was pretty good at reading people and she could tell this muscle man was hiding some skeletons.

_That doesn't take away from the fact that he helped me with that robber and besides he hasn't tried anything funny yet,_ she reasoned with herself.

The brunette gathered her nerves and said "I didn't get the chance to say it before but thank you for helping me out there."

Marcus inclined his head slightly in a show of acceptance, "It was no problem on my part. I only wish I had gotten there sooner." His voice was harsh as he mentioned the last part, his eyes drifted to her injured side almost reverently. He took a deep breath and met her eyes once again, green bore into her hazel eyes. He was asking for her forgiveness, he blamed himself for this though she didn't know why.

"It's alright," she immediately assured him. "I'm just glad you came when you did. I didn't even see you until you were right in front of me."

His handsome face lost the sternness he adopted moments ago and he looked younger for it. "That was the point; You didn't see me but neither did that man and I was able to surprise him." He patiently explained to her.

"Well, I've never seen someone move so quick. You're really fast Marcus." There, she said it. She said his name. Butterflies gathered in her stomach, Juliet had wanted to say his name ever since he told her but she could find the right time to speak it. The brunette knew she was acting silly, but she got a strange thrill when she said his name.

Marcus grew rigid in his chair. His green eyes darkened as bore into hers and he swallowed thickly. A blast of dark spice hit her nose unexpectedly and Juliet reflexively inhaled. That scent soaked into every pore of her body, making her squirm with restlessness. She didn't understand how she was able to smell his musk; she didn't have a great sense of smell.

As soon as it came, the scent dissipated. The aroma lingered in the air but it no longer saturated it. Marcus readjusted his position on the hard plastic chair. His face was serene and his posture was relaxed. "Thank you," he murmured quietly and turned away from her, he seemed lost in his thoughts. Whatever the hell just happened she wouldn't get any answers from him.

Suddenly Juliet heard voices coming from the end of the hall, it sounded like Rick was talking to some other people and they were headed for his office. Her heart sped up. Her time with Marcus would end soon and she grew anxious at the thought. No matter her reservations were about him she wanted to see him again.

Juliet rummaged through Rick's desk and found a pen. "Here," she said to Marcus while she grabbed his closest hand, and bent low so she could write on it, "If you're every in the area again give me a call or text me and we can do something" she finished lamely. On his hand was her phone number, now it was up to him if they ever saw each other again.

Marcus stared at the hand she still gripped, his eyes were wide and he looked stunned by her actions. When he glanced up at her his features were bright with barely contained delight and Juliet couldn't help but match his beautiful smile. "Yes I will most defiantly call you" he replied in a sure, steady tone; it was a tone that implied he was telling the truth; he really would call her.

_Yes! I can't believe this worked. _

The voices grew louder and now Juliet could hear their footsteps so she sat back in her chair and tried to act normal. Marcus continued to stare at her with surprise still etched onto his features but it was mixed with a pleased, proud look that he made no attempt to hide from her.

Rick entered the doorway with two police officers but Juliet couldn't look away from him, it was as if there was a magnetic pull keeping her locked in his gaze. Marcus appeared to have the same problem, which created butterflies in the teen's stomach.

Juliet was the one to break their staring match and she faintly heard a low sigh come from her companion. Rick said the officers wanted to question them separately so she had to leave to another room.

She stood slowly but before the teen took one step Marcus halted her departure, "Goodbye Juliet, it was nice talking with you." Hazel eyes looked down at him, he made it feel like they were the only people in the room again with his honest gaze.

"Goodbye Marcus," she answered shyly and walked out of the room trying her best not to look at Marcus but she did see that his hand was conveniently out of view of the cops.

There it is! What did you guys think? Thanks to all who reviewed and alerted this story.

On Friday I'm going on a trip with my boyfriend to Philly and all next week is finals so the next chapter will be a little late but hopefully not as late as this one.

Thank you again

Alkedema


	7. Chapter 7

Devotion and Desire Chapter 7

This chapter is the same as Ch. 6 but its all in Marcus' POV

Nausea was not a feeling Marcus was familiar with. As a supernatural being it was rare for his kind to experience those kinds of sensations like a human would; the weak, sickly feeling accompanied with the acidity of bile was extremely uncommon for a demon of his high-ranking. But apparently for a mated demon it was a common occurrence. He forgot all reason as he felt Juliet's terrified emotions and immediately transported himself to her side.

Stopping the robbery was child's play to him. Marcus moved on instinct to quickly incapacitate the bald human but he shook with the effort not to use his full strength on the fragile man. Strength that was enhanced due to the threat to his mate's safety.

Marcus had to regain control of his anger before he turned around to face his mate but it was difficult. The majority of his rage was directed at the filthy coward lying on the floor before his feet; how dare a man attack a women least of all his mate.

_His_ mate, _his_ Juliet. The beast inside him was itching to be released, to destroy the threat. His saving grace was the scent of his mate's fear that kept Marcus in his human form and kept his beast caged. The tingling in his nose made him aware that Juliet needed his protection and comfort more than she needed his vengeance.

The rest of his rage was self-directed. He chastised himself harshly for his late arrival, there was no excuse to justify they fact that he was not near his mate to protect her when she was in danger. If something had happened to her not even the building would be left standing.

This incident along with the minor scare in the stairwell prompted him to take action. Marcus must assert himself into her life in order to protect her; he could not bare another scare like this to transpire.

Marcus breathed deeply and closed his eyes; not being able to see the assailant helped with his slipping self-control; he must keep himself restrained, at least for now. The beast protested his lack of violence; it wanted out to reassure itself that the threat was gone.

_Kill, Destroy!_

Marcus could feel the familiar tingling in his nails and eyeteeth that signaled their inhuman growth; his beast was far too influential as of late. Ever since the Quivering it seemed that the line between them was blurred, Marcus sometimes didn't know whose thoughts influenced whose actions.

The Demon Prince responded to his beast with an authoritative _No._

_Let me free. Fight! _

_No_

_Want his blood_, it pleaded with him.

_You can have it._ The beast halted its rampage within his skull; it understood that his acceptance was conditional. Marcus had no qualms about making the man bleed and if it helped calm his beast then he would certainly spill red but now was not the time.

_You can have his blood but not now. Our mate needs us._

_Soon?_

_Yes, very soon._ Marcus promised; it felt like he was talking to a child but the demon in him knew better than to offer the creature empty promises. The bald human wouldn't be so lucky as to walk away with just a bruise tonight.

His beast backed down slightly and focused its attention to Juliet. They could both hear her heart pounding out a rapid beat and Marcus felt compelled to answer its call. With a smooth face and a hopefully calm demeanor, he turned and faced his mate. This would be the first time she saw him; Marcus swallowed thickly.

Hazel eyes widened as he heard a slight intake of breath from her. He knew his kind was attractive to humans but he wondered if his mate would only be attracted to his physical features. Marcus has had enough of false flirtation in the past and it only upset him; he wanted Juliet to be attracted to _him_.

He could feel his mate's gaze like a physical touch, one that burned him all the way to his blood. Her examination of him was delicious torture and he tried not to move so she could study him at her leisure. Her hazel eyes studied the planes of his face; they traveled from his cheekbones to his hair.

Marcus never bothered with his hair, just pulled it back with a tie and let it be. He knew his hairstyle would be considered out-of-date but he never felt the need to change it, now Marcus became self-conscious about it when he saw his mate scrunch up her nose a little when she looked at it.

When she curiously drew her gaze to his lips his entire mouth went dry. His lips parted for her in anticipation and shivers went down his spine. Unconsciously her own set parted and Marcus nearly groaned at the invitation; the thought of kissing those lips was incredibly stimulating to his senses. He began to fidget, not enough that she would notice but nonetheless his little mate under minded years of strict control and she knew nothing of it.

Before the Demon Prince could embarrass himself, perhaps by moaning out loud, his mate quickly looked away from his mouth and her hazel eyes finally met his own pair.

Instantly he was hit with a wave of tranquility, her eyes seemed to melt away his tensions. Marcus could only stare back at her as he felt his calm return; his mate was safe and the Demon Prince realized he didn't arrive late but just in time. No more worries about how to start their relationship, Fate took care of that, now Marcus just had to prove himself to Juliet, to make her his mate.

He took this tranquil moment to study her as well; her hazel eyes were wide and to his mesmerizing gaze he could determine what she was feeling. There was confusion, still some fright, awe and curiosity shone from those eyes and Marcus was amazed with the peace she gave him and his beast purred in contentment. Juliet really was his perfect match; she did no more than look at him with innocent interest and he was entranced, completely under her spell.

Suddenly she broke eye contact and continued to look at the rest of his body; the line of his neck, down to his broad chest, which housed his pounding heart. Everywhere her eyes touched he felt a flame dance on his skin, then linger longer after those hazel orbs moved on to the next spot.

Like a soft caress, it was almost as if her hands where making the journey and it was slowly making him loose his cool confidence.

Her eyes drifted lower, down to his clenched fists hanging by his side. He shouldn't have thought it but those hazel eyes were gazing dangerously low. It was an innocent act on her part and he tried not to think about his painful arousal but his mate's eyes were looking low enough that if he shifted his stance she would see the length of his erection pushing at the seam of his pants. Marcus' heart beat loudly as his blood surged with his growing excitement; his breathing became shallow almost matching Juliet's rapid intakes.

Wait… Marcus put aside his body's urges and focused entirely on the brunette in front of him; her heart was still beating too fast for his liking and her breathing wasn't normal either. His green eyes drifted over her pale face, noting the shadows and the fear lingering in her hazel gaze; he realized she was still upset about what the human male tried to do to her.

Acting on instinct, Marcus moved closer to his mate; it was almost as if he was pulled by an invisible chain that dragged him to her side. He wasn't complaining, the raven haired Prince waited a long time for Fate to give him this blessing and he would not waste it; he would put aside all his shortcomings for her.

Beginning with communication, Marcus wasn't one to speak often and many took him for cold and detached but in reality his aloof demeanor helped him keep his… unusual circumstances under control.

When Marcus moved around the work counter he noticed a black camera pointed directly into the space where Juliet stood. Later he would have to erase the security tapes to ensure there was no evidence of his supernatural arrival but for now he mentally willed the camera to stop recording and quickly stood by his mate.

He placed himself directly in her line of sight; he didn't want Juliet to see that filth on the floor. Selfishly he positioned his chest directly in front of her face so she had to tilt her brown head up to look at him, Marcus liked the feel of her eyes too much.

What he didn't account for was being so close to feel Juliet's warm breath hit his chest when she exhaled. It caused her mango scent to encompass and saturate the air around him and Marcus was instantly drunk on it.

Being this close to her made him realize how small his mate was; she looked so fragile to him. The top of her head came up to his shoulder and it only made the Demon Prince understand he had so much to protect her from, after all humans were frail especially when compared to his kind.

Juliet's nostrils flared as she inhaled his scent and Marcus wondered if she was as affected by his scent as he was her own. The thought came to mind that he should mask his scent so she couldn't smell him anymore but Marcus immediately banished the thought; the look in her darkened eyes told him that his mate enjoyed his aroma and he enjoyed watching her.

Marcus blinked rapidly to bring himself back to reality; he had to say something to calm her but Good Fate, she left him tongue-tied. He was acting like a human teen, gathering his courage to approach his crush. The Demon Prince shuffled his feet and opened his mouth to speak but he found that he couldn't; clearing his throat he locked away his nerves and tried again. "Are you alright?" he managed to get out, after all that was his main concern.

When his mate said nothing he began to grow worried but eventually she nodded, her brown hair spilled in front of her shoulders with the movement. Her heartbeat was now at a comfortable rate and her breathing had adopted a quieter rhythm.

It was then he noticed that his mate was holding her side, "Are you sure?" he inquired softly so as not to startle her. His green gaze pointedly moved from her wide eyes down to her torso, "Is your side injured?" _Please answer no._

Juliet's eyes brightened with surprise and she looked down at herself; it seemed as if she didn't notice. Her small hand trembled as she rubbed her side; Marcus grew tense when her eyebrows quirked in what seemed to him as pain.

"Not really, it just stings" she answered, her soft voice wavered slightly and Marcus saw red. The rage built in him and he tried hard to smother it but only one thought was clear_ He hurt my mate._

Juliet quickly glanced back up to meet his eyes and Marcus didn't have time to hide his anger. He could feel the rage burning behind his eyes and judging by the look on his mate's face they must have turned red. He clenched his teeth hard to prevent his fangs from exposing themselves and asked roughly "What did the bastard do to you?"

Juliet jumped at his tone but Marcus knew he couldn't soften his voice even if he tried; his mate was hurt and that enraged him. Automatically he started to lean closer to her injury; he needed to see it, needed to heal it for her, it was his responsibility as a mate to care for her. It would take the smallest amount of magic to heal her and it would calm his mind greatly. His hand slowly stretched out between them and Marcus heard her surprised gasp but that didn't deter him.

What did stop him was an aggravated shout nearby. "What the hell happened here?"

Marcus instantly grew protective and turned his body to face the intruder; by his scent, the Demon Prince knew this man was angry and it was directed towards Juliet. He placed his body in front of hers and faced the man with a grim expression, one that clearly said 'back off'. He let his eyes turn feral red and gave the human a predatory smile; Marcus was pleased when the large man paled slightly.

Juliet seemed to understand the two of them were at a stalemate and she intervened by saying, "Rick, that man just tried to rob me." Rationale returned to him as his mate's calm tone soothed his anger, it helped him edge away from the violence that his beast wanted to inflict.

This man Rick apparently was her supervisor and Marcus was not pleased with him; it was his job to protect his employees and he failed. He failed Juliet. The Demon Prince watched as the human examined the burglar and he wasn't surprised when Rick directed a scathing comment at him. "I suppose you're the reason why I have an unconscious man lying on floor of my store."

He could feel the surge of anger course through his body once again at this man's lack of respect.

His little brunette was certainly annoyed with Rick's response; her warm breath hit his back in a huff and Marcus could tell she was about to confront this man. In an effort to stop her comeback, he grasped her small hand and squeezed it lightly. This simple touch caused his nerve endings to over react, each one was aware of exactly where her skin touched his own and it caused Goosebumps to erupt all over his arm.

He tried to convey to her his message of protection and Juliet seemed to understand as she shifted quietly behind him. A sense of pride tore through him at her courage to stand up to her boss and at her trust in him.

Marcus stretched out his large frame and effectively crowded the man across from him. His voice leaked none of his wild emotions, "That man used lethal force to rob your store. I stopped him from leaving."

Rick looked at Juliet for confirmation and Marcus felt her hair brush his back as she nodded her agreement. He began to calm when her supervisor called for the authorities but his earlier agitation came back in full force the second he barked out his command for them to follow. Marcus was appalled when he didn't inquire about Juliet; the human wanted them to leave but this matter wasn't over settled.

"And he hurt Juliet."

This human disgusted Marcus with his nonchalant answer, "She looks fine to me. We'll get her looked at when the cops come. Now go to my office and wait for someone there, I've got to take care of things here."

His words left a bad taste in his mouth; time and time again he found humans to be incredibly selfish, they did not follow any set of morals that he could tell. The Demon Prince opened his mouth to react to those callous words but he stopped when he felt his mate start to leave his side.

He was torn; follow his mate or teach this human some manners? The decision was taken out of his hands when Juliet asked if he would follow her. Of course he would. Raven hair shifted with his consent and stood by her side.

As they walked, Marcus cast a veil of illusion over them so none of the store's patrons would be able to see her; Juliet didn't need to be bothered with them and frankly neither did he. Using his supernatural talents, Marcus also mentally willed the security cameras to turn off their angle so the both of them could be hidden from their view as well.

He trailed behind her as they walked in silence to the back of the store; his instinct wouldn't allow very much space between them and Marcus felt like he was crowding her but his little brunette didn't seem to mind.

Looking down at her he noticed she looked rather pale; her cheeks were slightly red but other than that she had little color to her skin. In fact her shoulders were hunched slightly and they trembled as Juliet gripped her upper arms; she looks like she's outside in winter.

With his eyes trained on her face he asked, "Are you cold?"

His mate was startled by the question but answered quickly, "What? No, no I'm fine."

_That cannot be right,_ "You are shaking" he stated, it appeared that his mate sometimes neglected her own health.

"Uhh, I guess its just shock." Juliet answered. Not good enough, both the gentleman and demon in him suggested he provide her warmth and so without a thought he took off his sweater and offered it to her.

Her hazel eyes were wide with that same curiosity she showed earlier but they appeared darker now. Marcus felt pressed to care for her so he did not examine her expression closely, "Please put it on. I don't want you to be cold."

"Ok then." She reached for his sweater and Marcus couldn't resist. Too quick for her eyes to catch he placed his hand under her own; both him and his beast sighed at the brush of her small hand, at that thrum of awareness caused by her touch. Marcus didn't want rhyme or reason as to his feelings he just wanted more of what this brunette inspired in him.

"Thank you" she replied and he could only nod as Juliet slipped his sweater over her head. He was mesmerized with her actions; the way she pushed her brown hair over her shoulder, how she smoothed the material over her body. The Demon Prince received great pleasure when he heard his mate inhale, taking his scent into her lungs.

Juliet kept her head down and continued walking. He followed behind her but strands of brown hair blocked her face from his sight. He wondered at her behavior until she murmured, "Nothing like this has ever happened to me before."

_Ahh, her nerves have not settled yet._ "And nothing like this will _ever_ happen to you again, mate. I promise" was his immediate response, Marcus purposefully spoke too quietly for her to hear but nevertheless his promise lingered between them. She would know of his protection, his strength and hopefully one day his love.

Marcus abandoned that train of thought before it could take root in his heart and focused on his mate again. She was no longer shivering and she adopted a healthier complexion. He continued to monitor her vital functions; that sweet rhythm of her heart pounded calmly in his ears and her breathing was strong and steady, there were no signs of her earlier agitation.

His thoughts were interrupted, "How did you know my name?" Marcus was surprised by the urgency in her voice. "Your name tag says 'Juliet' so I assumed that was your name."

Juliet recovered herself and blushed a beautiful shade of red, _she is embarrassed_ Marcus realized with fascination; he found her reactions captivating. "Oh yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout that."

He had to smile at her, she was endearing to watch, "That's alright" he assured her. Almost as if a light switch had been turned on, Marcus remembered she had no idea who he was.

He stuck his hand out for her to shake, "Please forgive me, I have not introduced myself. I am Marcus and it is very nice to meet you Juliet."

Her confused expression smoothed out when she smiled, revealing dimples on both of her cheeks, "It's nice to meet you too."

Marcus gently grasped her hand, stretching his fingers so they grazed her inner wrist; through her fragile skin he could feel her blood flowing, that life giving essence pumped steadily in her body and it made his fangs ache with need.

Her warmth burned him, flames licked up his arm and traveled throughout his body; he felt the painful bliss low in his body, throbbing hard with demand. Marcus swallowed hard, forcing the increasing hunger away.

Instead the Demon Prince took this time to reinforce his protection spell; he used their contact to call upon a thread of his power and put it into her palm, he formed stronger locating and tracking spells using her appendage as the mediator between them. He hoped this would ease some of his stress away.

Marcus was absurdly pleased with their current situation and when his green eyes met hazel, he smiled; rarely did he ever feel this carefree and let his joy soften his face. Leaving her warmth on a good note, he slowly returned her hand.

Juliet once again led the way to Rick's office; his heart was beating a steady rhythm, empowered by that simple touch. Without her knowledge, Marcus quickly lifted his hand to his face and inhaled deeply. It smelled of her, delicious mango, a tropical scent that was fitting for the sunny place she lived. Once he had her name, it took little effort to locate where his mate lived, the sunshine state, he also learned a few more things when he searched her name.

Suddenly his mate was falling, her body losing its balance and coming closer to the floor. Marcus did not think as he wrapped his arms to halt her fall. Encircling her waist with his arm he pulled her flush against his chest, "Steady" he whispered.

Her arms instinctively gripped his arms in an attempt to regain her balance and Marcus couldn't be more delighted that she was leaning on him for strength, literally. But another part of him was acutely aware of her soft curves pressed so intimately against his body; her head was tucked under his and it did not escape him that the column of her neck was dangerously exposed to his gaze.

Brown hair curled around his shoulder when Juliet turned her head; she met his gaze and maybe she saw his hunger reflecting in his eyes because immediately her breathing began to accelerate. Marcus received a blast of her mango scent on her exhale; this time her aroma had a muskier quality to it, female arousal. _Good Fate_, that scent would forever be etched into his memory, it would haunt him for nights to come.

Before him or his beast could react to that temptation, Marcus forced himself to step back from her although he never broke eye contact. The allure of her body would not let him fully release her so instead he just turned his mate so they were face to face.

The dark haired Prince could not hide his concern for her; today must have been difficult to deal with. He was about to inquire about her health when hazel eyes filled up with tears and Juliet threw herself at him, crying loudly.

Marcus could guess that her lamentation was due to the robbery; he didn't know what words to offer her so he opted to just hold her, taking advantage of the fact that it was _he_ she was clinging to and not another. The scent of her salty tears invaded his senses and he marveled at the way a fierce protective instinct rose inside him; his mate was innocence and it hurt him to see her like this.

His beast stirred within him but it wasn't violence it hungered for. _Mate _it whispered, there was no rush of energy this time but a sort of communion as if the beast knew the only way to be close to Juliet was through Marcus' form. The Demon Prince was grateful for this, now he could focus entirely on Juliet and not be distracted by a temperamental, irrational creature.

The world seemed to fall away as he held Juliet, cradling her tenderly in his embrace; for a few precious moments Marcus could believe someone would care enough for him to have the power to bring him out of the darkness. And he whole-heartedly believed that he held his light in his arms.

Her heartbeat echoed throughout his ears as he held her, quietly humming a melody to his mate. Marcus continued to rub soothing circles into the small of her back until he could hear her breathing begin to calm.

How natural this felt; she needed and he provided, mate comforting mate so when she apologized to him he was genuinely confused as to what she was sorry for. Marcus looked down at her mop of brown hair, trying to decipher his mate's behavior once again; her lashes veiled those wonderful hazel eyes.

"Sorry for what?" he asked as soon as she looked up at him.

"Sorry for crying all over you" Juliet specified, her voice was muffled with tears. _Anytime, mate_ was what Marcus thought, what he said was less personal and less likely to scare her, "Ah, that is no problem Juliet."

Something tightened in his heart when she removed her arms from around his neck; if it hurt to let her go now, what would he do when their impending separation arrived?

Shock waves of pleasure tore through him when her small hands rested on his chest; Juliet's innocent action sent a shiver through his bloodstream and made it difficult to hear her what she had to say. "I've probably ruined your shirt and all your stuff."

Stuff? His mate was very confusing. "I don't understand," he whispered to her, wishing to understand. Marcus had been under the impression that Juliet had a shy nature so imagine his surprise and delight at her bold actions that accompanied her next words.

Pressing her fingers into his shirt pocket, they both heard the rustle of paper, "I hope my tears didn't ruin what's in your pocket." Oh no, her note was sill in his pocket. A rare blush crept onto his cheeks at the reminder that he had childishly taken something of hers; Marcus was embarrassed at his actions and the fact that his mate had unknowingly caught him.

He quickly changed the subject; "Is this the office?" they were standing in a hallway with many doors so he assumed one of them must be her supervisor's. Lucky for the Prince his mate caught on to his discomfort quickly and slowly stepped out of his embrace.

Juliet opened the door and Marcus was unsettled by the way she sat into one of the chairs; it appeared as if her legs didn't have the energy to carry her any further. He promptly sat next to her and with worry for her health he asked, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, now that I'm sitting down."

It irked him that he could not use his healing magic to alleviate her discomfort; those charms would be felt by the receiver and there was no way Marcus could logically explain what would happen to her body without raising suspicion or ridicule.

Over his lifetime the Prince had studied medicine, for both humans and immortals, he was confident in his ability to handle any medical situation concerning his mate.

In the comfortable silence that followed Marcus finally had time to regroup; being with his mate scattered his thoughts and left his emotions high strung. He prided himself on his level nature and thinking, being a slave to his emotions could severely debilitate his judgment. While she excited and energized him she also gave him peace.

Fate had confused him when he found out his mate was human but Marcus knew better than to question Her. He accepted his destiny with open arms, grateful to have his soul mate. Most often in the royal family, male demons find their destined mate rather quickly, only a few decades after maturity, but with Marcus it had taken centuries; after a while he began to think there was no one out in the world that was meant to be his mate.

"One of my employees, Juliet, was the cashier, she saw the whole thing."

"We'll have to question her, you know."

"Yeah, yeah she's in my office, it's this way."

Marcus picked up the conversation all the way across the store; he sighed quietly, Rick would bring the authorities soon and then they would have to part. He turned to his brunette and found her staring intently at him; he pushed past his reaction to that hazel gaze and told her "It shouldn't be much longer now."

Juliet's heart rate sped up some and she bit her bottom lip, dragging the flesh between her teeth causing it to become a plump red temptation that instantly drew his attention. She was nervous but why, he couldn't understand her.

"I didn't get the chance to say it before but thank you for helping me out there." Juliet declared softly. Her appreciation of his actions made him proud, pure male satisfaction, at protecting his mate.

But the reminder of the attack brought his guilt to the surface; Marcus felt compelled to confess his frustrations to her, certain she would listen. "It was no problem on my part. I only wish I had gotten there sooner." Green eyes drifted to her injured side and heaviness settled in his gut, this was his fault. _Please forgive me, Juliet._

"It's alright," she immediately assured him. "I'm just glad you came when you did. I didn't even see you until you were right in front of me."

With just those simple words, the oppressive emotions left him to be replaced with gratitude; she had the right to blame him but instead his mate praised him. He could feel the tension leave his body. Even though conversation was not something he excelled in, Marcus was determined to hear more of her voice.

"That was the point; You didn't see me but neither did that man and I was able to surprise him." Not that it would have mattered if the human saw him, Marcus was skilled in hand to hand combat he had fought countless immortals, a human would not stand a chance against him.

"Well, I've never seen someone move so quick. You're really fast Marcus."

He grew rigid in his chair, every muscle in his body tensed as he restrained himself to say seated. She had said his name, softly barely making a ripple in the air as her voice stretched between them.

On a primal level his beast realized that she was interested in him as a male; her cheeks flushed with shy chagrin and her body's scent took on an aroma that was purely female. His body responded in full; even Marcus could smell his mating scent as it saturated the air. His trousers were becoming painfully tight as heat settled in between his thighs.

_Mate!_ He wasn't sure who shouted that mental plea but it was a warning sign to Marcus.

_Control!_ He must control his urges; since he had not satisfied the Quivering instinct, as a mated demon should, the hunger, the raw energy waited underneath the surface ready to be quenched. That Marcus could not allow, he was in foreign territory with Juliet and could not afford any mistakes.

He cut off his air supply, no longer breathing in her scent stopped his turmoil some; "Thank you," he forced out and turned away from her.

How can she have such power over him? Damn it… He had nearly lost control just a moment ago if his hand impressions in the chair were any indication. He was a Demon Prince, restrained and disciplined; yet this beauty undid all his years of strict willpower. How easily she drew emotion from him and he let her even knowing it could be dangerous.

Marcus meant those words of thanks, his mate had good reason to be afraid of him, to see him as a threat but instead she trusted him enough to sit in the same room with him. To hug him, to confide in him.

The humans he heard before were coming closer now to the point that Juliet's dull human ears could sense them. Marcus sighed quietly; their time together would end, she would leave him alone again.

Curiously her heart rate began to climb and she looked worried. Did his mate feel the same as he did about their departure? No, he could not delude himself, humans did not feel the mating instinct as strongly as demons.

Abruptly Juliet leaped up from her chair and reached across the desk in front of them. Her movements mesmerized Marcus and he could only watch as she retrieved a pen from the cluttered desktop and turned to him with bright eyes. Boldly his mate grabbed his hand in a determined grip, bent her dark head and began to write on his hand.

"Here, If you're every in the area again give me a call or text me and we can do something"

He had trouble swallowing past the lump in his throat; each stroke of the pen sent shivers up his spine, his hand felt numb, her touch invaded his senses. Her phone number, he got her phone number. Now Marcus understood why human males always bragged about getting a women's number, it was thrilling.

He stared at their joined hands hardly believing his luck; she didn't want their time to end so his little mate ensured another meeting. Surely his heart would burst from his chest from the joy he felt; the Demon Prince looked at Juliet with unrestrained elation, he gave her a genuine ecstatic smile, he felt giddy. His mate wanted to see him again!

"Yes I will most defiantly call you" he responded with complete sincerity. Her eyes were wide and they glowed with the joy of having one's intention received. Her smile filled his every thought and the powerful Demon Prince was at the mercy of this brunette; anything she wanted and it would be hers.

Marcus hardly noticed the other humans enter the room, his focus was on his mate, on his burning hand; he wisely counted his good fortune, things could have easily turned disastrous today.

With a slight of hand he concealed his hand from view; the dark haired demon did not want anyone to see it, especially these males, it was for his pleasure alone.

Rick was rapidly trying his patience, that man wanted Juliet to leave the room so they could be questioned separately. Logically Marcus knew he had to let her go but there was an ache in his chest at the thought of her leaving. His green eyes were glued to her face, trying to memorize her features, even when she stood to follow Rick out of his office.

Sighing deeply he left her with his last parting words, "Goodbye Juliet, it was nice talking with you."

Her wide eyes swung back to his face, a small smile lit her features as she stared down at him. It was an interesting feeling when he had to look up to meet her hazel eyes, he was vulnerable to her gaze and Marcus wondered what Juliet saw when she looked at him.

"Goodbye Marcus," she murmured and just like that she was gone.

He spelled the two police officers to forget his presence. He simply made them not care about his interference in the robbery; there would be no follow up questions.

Marcus left the two humans in the office and walked out into the hall debating on whether to keep watch over his mate or take care of 'clean up'.

Taking the responsible path, he headed to the security room; the proud Demon Prince had a blissful grin on his face as he looked at those numbers on his skin. Gently, slowly he traced each figure with his finger letting some of his magic coat the ink; Marcus did not want Juliet's phone number to fade.

At the front of the store he noticed that the bald human was gone; no matter that man would not be able to hide from him for long.

_Blood_ his beast whispered to him.

_Yes but we want him alone. Tonight he is ours;_ Marcus finished the thought with a wild grin, letting the creative images of that human's impending beating fill his mind.

His beast rumbled its approval.

He spent little time at the store, he simply erased the memories of those who saw him and destroyed any video evidence of the robbery; it was a mild but tedious task and surprisingly the widespread use of his magic didn't drain the Prince like he expected. It would take some time to adjust to the power surge of being a mated demon.

Marcus didn't linger at the store and transported himself back to his home, secure in the fact that Juliet would be safe (his new protection spell was much stronger than the one he placed on her before).

He flashed himself into the family's garden, it was a quiet place to think and he needed to sort out his tangled thoughts and tighten the reigns over his potent emotions.

Almost immediately the Demon Prince got an idea, he set to work devising a plan to be closer to his mate; he pulled out Juliet's folded paper from his shirt pocket. He would need his brother's help with this plan.

A pale figure sped through a long stretch of hallway to make his way to his master's throne room. His blue eyes were wide with excitement; the news he was about to deliver would put him in his master's good favor for sure.

Three quick raps on a thick wooden door and he was allowed entrance into the grand throne room of his coven leader, his master, his sire. Swiftly walking into the center of the room the servant bowed low, keeping his eyes trained on the ground. He twisted his blonde head to respectfully expose his throat.

His vampire lord enjoyed his submission. "Why have you troubled me, Eric?"

Setting aside his nerves, the young vampire announced clearly "My lord, the rumors are true. I myself have seen that the Demon Prince Marcus has found a mate."

Silence, disbelief, then a low chuckle filled the room "Ha! Well then we must go visit and extend our _congratulations_"

"Master that is not all." Swallowing past the nerves Eric gave his lord the most important news, "His mate is human."

"Look at me." His master commanded and the blonde hastily obeyed. Strange purple eyes stared back at him and the young vampire fought the urge to squirm. His master's normally impassive face was smoothed with the hint of a smile but it wasn't one of warmth, it was full of retribution. "You have done well, go and feast in my name. Take any victim you wish."

"Thank you master."

Violet eyes watched as his young servant exited the room, they were sharp with dark desire. "Marissa," he called to one of his mistresses.

Her ebony hair flowed behind her as she ran eagerly to his side, "Yes my lord?"

He teased this young female by exposing his inner wrist to her hungry gaze; little Marissa was always bloodthirsty. "I am assigning you a mission. We need to get that bastard's mate and I want you to do it for me, understand?"

Her large eyes never left their gaze of the veins in his wrist but she nodded intently.

Good, this seemed like the chance he had been waiting for, the chance to take down those repugnant demons. "Good girl," he murmured, "You may drink young one."

As Marissa sank her fangs into his wrist, the vampire lord began to plan for war.

Well there's another chapter. I'm sorry about the crappy updates but time just seems to get away from me.

Please let me know what you guys think about this chapter, your reviews really help me.

Thank you to all who reviewed and alerted this story, until next time.

Alkedema


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Devotion and Desire

I am soooo sorry this chapter is ridiculously late. I really don't have an excuse except for life, it kinda got in the way of writing. Thank you all who reviewed!

Sorry for any mistakes I missed. Enjoy!

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As predicted Juliet's mom freaked out; she attributed the dangers of being a cashier to the unstable economy and constantly gave her daughter worried glances the entire car ride home (she insisted that Juliet was too shaken up to drive on her own).

She got a call from work saying to take the week off which she appreciated but they wouldn't compensate her hours so her next paycheck was going to be small.

It had been two days since the robbery and sadly Marcus never called. No voicemail, no text, nothing. Pathetically, the teen kept her phone near her at all times and constantly checked for any missed messages; she desperat1ely wanted to talk to him again.

The brunette didn't understand why she felt so strongly for this perfect stranger but something tugged at her every time she thought of her raven-haired hero. And she certainly wouldn't mention the fact that he has been the star of her dreams in recent nights.

The brunette made the right call when she decided not to tell her mom about the bruise on her side; her mom would have freaked out if she saw it. When she got home that day there was already a small purple bruise forming in the of the barrel of the gun, a small circle that was sore to the touch. But the weird thing was, the morning after the attack Juliet woke up to a pleasant surprise; the bruise on her side had disappeared, as if it was never there. No ache, no tenderness.

Currently she was driving to school; a piece of toast in one hand and the other on the steering wheel, not exactly the safest thing to do but she was hungry and need the energy to sit through three boring classes.

There was a buzzing in her pocket and Juliet frowned; _who is texting me this early?_

The teen glanced around the road to see if it was safe to let go of the wheel, it would only be for a second. With the road clear, she quickly shoved the toast in her mouth and shifted in her seat to pull out her phone. Looking back up at the road Juliet saw that nothing happened, she barely drifted out of her lane.

The text was from Erika, _I'm gonna be a lil late. Save me a seat_

Glancing from the road to her phone Juliet sent back a simple _ok c ya soon. _

It was typical of her best friend to arrive late to their first class because… um well… how to put this? She and Alex sometimes wanted a private 'moment' before classes, which Juliet tried hard not to think about.

Instead the conversation she and Erika had a day after the 'incident' popped into her head…

_…Juliet was just about to hang up the phone after the fourth ring when her friend finally answered, "Hello?"_

_"Erika, do you have a minute to talk?"_

_"Yeah, sure." In the background the brunette could hear the crumple of a bag. "I was just vegging out in front of the T.V., what's up?"_

_Taking a deep breath, Juliet told Erika what happened that day. Like a good friend she listened quietly with the occasional 'oh my god' or 'no way'._

_"Damn Juliet, you are so lucky. Thank god nothing bad happened to you."_

_"Yeah I know; I was so terrified of that gun."_

_And also like a good BFF she wanted the whole story about her rescuer, "Well I'm glad your ok and everything but I need details about this Marcus guy."_

_Sigh. Juliet knew she had to talk otherwise Erika wouldn't let her rest, but she wasn't too upset about giving this information because the brunette had been dying to tell someone about Marcus._

_"Ok, first off imagine every Calvin Klein model, no wait, any male model ever and put them together and you get Marcus."_

_"Whoa. Where is this guy and when can I meet him?"_

_"I don't know where he is." Juliet mumbled into the phone, " He hasn't called me yet."_

_"What!" Erika screamed at her, "You gave him your number? Holy crap J, you never do that!"_

_With a goofy grin on her face the brunette replied with a simple, "I know."_

_"Well I'm sure you used your feminine charm on him and he'll call you soon." Juliet could hear the smile in her friend's voice._

_At that comment she snorted, "My charm? Erika I was in my ugly work clothes and I could have defiantly used a shower when he saw me._

The teasing continued while the two of them got off topic and talked about random things. Juliet didn't tell her friend about the strong emotional reaction she had to Marcus because honestly she couldn't describe it herself. It was an attraction beyond the physical.

It was about 15 minutes before class started and since she had no one to talk to, Juliet decided to sit and wait in the classroom. By rule, college students are rarely ever early to class so when she walked into her health class she wasn't surprised that it was empty; not even the teacher was there yet.

Juliet settled into a seat in the back while placing her backpack in the seat to the right of her, for Erika. She took out a Sudoku book and began working on a puzzle; she tried teaching Erika how to play but her friend said it was too hard. Personally Juliet loved Sudoku, it gave her time to relax and concentrate on nothing but the puzzle plus it made her feel smart when she solved it.

She was in the middle of figuring out the next set of numbers to the puzzle when something broke the silence of the empty classroom. "Juliet" a soft voice called.

The teen looked up startled. Her heart jumped in her chest, _Oh my god_, chills spread all over her body as hazel eyes met familiar green, "Marcus?"

He gave her a heart-stopping smile; the kind that crinkled his eyes and made him look absolutely stunning. Shock kept her eyes wide and her mouth gaping and it wasn't from the fact that he was wearing a dark maroon v-neck shirt that teased her senses with glimpses of smooth skin.

It was the simple fact that he was here that kept the brunette glued to her seat. Not even when he lazily brushed a strand of black hair away from his face was she able to stop impersonating a fish.

Marcus chuckled a bit, "Hello."

It was his voice that brought her out of that strange trance his mere presence created. "H-Hi," Juliet breathed. Two seconds into the impromptu conversation and she was already acting like a dork. Thankfully, some higher power took pity and allowed the flustered teen to use that ever-important filter between the brain and the mouth. So instead of embarrassingly shouting out 'What are you doing here', she calmly stated "It's a surprise seeing you here."

At this Marcus looked down to adjust the strap of his messenger bag, the one she didn't notice he carried until now; the action looked awkward and it seemed that he was tense with his rigid movements. Juliet wondered at the cause of this, _was it something I said?_

"A good surprise I hope," he countered with his eyes still downcast.

A giddy laugh bubbled up from her throat, "Of course it's good!" The idea that anyone wouldn't want to see this gorgeous model was laughable to her.

Marcus snapped his head up to look at her and his wide shoulders relaxed; his face adopted a serene expression. He continued to stare at her with a small smile on his lips; Juliet could feel herself becoming trapped in his green gaze, it was like a magnetic pull drawing her to him.

She could have stared at him all day but fate decided to make her suffer and in the middle of their 'moment' a speck of dust landed in the center of her eye causing the brunette to break eye contact and blink rapidly. "Oww."

Her brown hair fell like a curtain around her blushing cheeks as Juliet ducked her head and rubbed her eye. It was watering like crazy, what the hell was in there?

A large hand tugged at her wrist, trying to stop the abuse to her eye; with no one else in the room Juliet knew whose hand that was and needless to say his touch effectively stopped all movement.

"Let me" Marcus murmured; she couldn't see him, but Juliet knew her infatuation was standing very close because that wonderful smell of dark spice surrounded her.

He gently placed his surprisingly cool hand over her closed eye; instantly the burning and watering stopped. The brunette sighed in relief when he brushed a finger along the corner of her eye, "All better." he stated. Hazel eyes opened to see Marcus's face inches from her own, he held his finger out for her inspection, "See? Just an eyelash."

Yes she did see, on his index finger was the troublesome eyelash.

Her mortification limited her ability to look at his beautiful face so the teen dropped her gaze to his form-fitting maroon shirt instead. "Thanks." Juliet murmured shyly. Why did she have to embarrass herself in front of _him_, if it wasn't happening to her she might have thought the situation was funny.

His big chest quaked with amusement and Marcus lowered his body into the seat in front of her, purposely making their eyes meet. Her poor nerves went haywire at his expression; everything about him seemed carefree, his eyes were light with excitement, his mouth was softened with a small amused smile.

Marcus seemed like a different person than the one she met two days ago; his smiles came easier, and he more relaxed. This just added to his mysterious allure.

His green eyes powerfully held her attention as he said, "It was no trouble."

Juliet couldn't understand why he wasn't laughing at her, oh he was laughing but somehow she knew it wasn't at her misfortune, his mirth was directed at her reaction to the situation.

She wanted to just pretend that this didn't even happen, so the teen quickly shifted the attention from her to him. "So what are you doing here? I haven't seen you on campus before." Ok, so she wasn't the master of segues.

"I recently transferred to this campus. I'm involved with the student teaching program and I have been assigned to help teach this class for the remainder of the semester" her hero softly explained.

_No freaking way!_

Juliet was torn between joy and nervousness; the joy of seeing him often was coupled with the nervousness she experienced at his presence. So the only thing she could truthfully say aloud was "Oh, wow. What a small world I guess." Her inner fan-girl was screaming over the fact that he was going to be in her class!

Marcus slowly lost his small smile and the lull in conversation made her edgy; why was he looking at her like that? His stare was intense, almost as if he was memorizing her face.

Juliet ducked her head and brushed away any lingering crumbs she might have on her face (why else would he be looking at her like that?) Despite her insecurities and the awkwardness of the situation, the brunette felt very safe with Marcus; she couldn't describe it but there was something about him that calmed her and made her comfortable. His presence was almost familiar, kind of like they've known each other for years

The teen glanced at the clock only to discover that 3 minutes had passed ( it had seemed so much longer to her).

Realizing that the other students would be coming in the classroom soon, Juliet gathered her courage and threw away her common sense and asked the question that had been bugging her for days. "Why didn't you call me?"

She cringed at how desperate that sounded. His eyes widened, expressing his surprise; "I thought I was suppose to wait," he responded quietly.

Suppose to wait? That was not what Juliet expected to hear; she was prepared for something like 'I didn't feel like calling', or 'I forgot'.

"Suppose to wait for what?" She needed to hear him explain himself.

Marcus brought a large hand to rub the back of his neck; brilliant green gems shone through a veil of dark bangs as they pierced her with an uncertain gaze. Again he spoke quietly when he answered. "I was told to wait a couple of days before calling you. Someone told me that was the way things were done." His voice adopted a hard edge towards the end of his explanation; whoever that 'someone' was Marcus wasn't happy with them.

_He talked to someone about this?_ Her sudden intake of breath could be heard throughout the whole classroom as Juliet came to a conclusion; _He asked someone for advice!_

Her heart rate accelerated at the thought; if that were true then that would mean Marcus was interested…in her…romantically. Before her hormonal teenage mind could get carried away his smooth baritone cut through the silence. "I apologize if I offended you."

He must have interpreted the silence as a negative thing, "No, not at all" she rushed to assure him, "I was just…um… you can call me whenever you want."

There was a brief pause before he answered, "Thank you, I will." He sounded relieved and that made her giddy; something she said made this model happy, today was looking good.

Marcus barely finished his sentence before a group of students walked into the classroom, chatting loudly. Juliet looked at the group with a fair bit of annoyance, they interrupted her one-on-one time with Marcus; who knows when she'll get another chance.

"I have to prepare for the lesson," her hero stated as he stood up and swung his messenger bag over a broad shoulder. Looking up at him caused her heart to pound, his black hair contrasted harshly with the white fluorescent lights of the classroom; he looked amazing without even trying. Greedy hazel eyes followed the strap of his backpack from his wide shoulder to the center of his sculpted chest. She wasn't surprised he was teaching a health class, everything about him screamed vitality; perfectly toned body, flawless, healthy looking skin, God…was she drooling?

Startled with the progression her thoughts had taken, Juliet glanced back up to his entrancing green eyes and re-focused her attention on the conversation.

"I only teach for a small portion of the class, the rest of the time I will be observing your professor just like any other student." He threw a glance at the other students and let out a short huff before turning his attention back to her, "I hope you don't think of this" he gestured at the space between them, "as a student teacher relationship."

Right then the brunette questioned reality, she was feeling tired this morning maybe she fell asleep at her desk and this was just a dream.

That had to be it because Juliet was blessed ( and sometimes cursed) with a very high amount of female intuition, kind of like a sixth sense, so she knew she wasn't misreading the signals Marcus was throwing her way. For some reason the raven-haired model was clearly sending waves of flirtation at _her_; the question was why. She couldn't shake off the undeniable attraction she felt for him, it was making her believe his interest in her was true when logically she had no reason to.

"I defiantly don't see this," the teen mimicked his hand gesture, "as a student teacher relationship." Her tone made it clear as to what she did see it as.

The smile she received was worth all the worry she was festering; brilliant and gorgeous it was a smile that started in his eyes and light up his entire face. He positively glowed.

"I am glad." Marcus leaned down over her desk, one strong arm was perched on the edge of her desk and immediately she got a whiff of his cologne.

After the robbery that unique smell had clung to her clothes and Juliet shamelessly sniffed her shirt the entire rest of that day until it faded and she could no longer smell it. Now, however, that scent was saturating the air, drifting into her nose and with a deep breath it filled her lungs. She would never forget that dark spice aroma and the brunette would certainly remember the man associated with the wonderful scent.

The man in question opened his mouth as if to speak again but he was interrupted by an unwanted professor, "Ah, you must be the student teacher I was expecting."

Although his face was impassive as he turned to greet the teacher, Juliet thought she saw an exasperated expression cross his features, his green eyes flickered with a dark emotion but he quickly turned around before she could guess what shone through those eyes.

"Yes I am." Marcus replied, he gave her one last look before leaving with the professor to begin the lesson. His brief nod of departure triggered a small hand wave of her own but Juliet wanted more. More time with him, more conversations, more attention from him.

Why was she acting like this? It certainly wasn't normal for her; the level-headed brunette never fawned over a guy before (ok, well maybe once in high school) she always told herself to be realistic and never hope for something out of her reach, it was obvious that Marcus fell into that category. But none of that explained her reaction to him; why did she feel such a strong connection towards this man? It didn't make sense to know someone, no, to be briefly acquainted with a person for 48 hours and feel ready to tell him her inner most fears.

She watched Marcus as he talked to her professor, occasionally he would nod his head in agreement to what was said causing his hair to tumble around his shoulders. He towered over Pr. Max and she admired his muscled back, which was the only clear view of him she could see.

And what a view it was. His broad shoulders created a slope to the rest of his back; they started wide but the further down her eyes went the more narrow her view became and soon she was shamelessly looking at his rump. Even through the black material of his dress pants she was able to tell that he had a very nice behind. Quickly she snapped her gaze away from him with a bit of red dusting her cheeks.

More students continued to enter the room and soon most of the desks were filled; Juliet couldn't help but notice that the female students gave Marcus a once over. They were checking him out and for some reason she wanted to scream _I saw him first!_

Shaking off that ludicrous thought the brunette packed away her Sudoku puzzle and took out her notebook and a pen, she wasn't a nerd but she did take very good notes (when she wasn't distracted by gorgeous hunks).

Juliet was flipping through her notebook to find a new page to write on when a sudden breeze blew over her desk. It announced the arrival of someone she'd rather not talk to; Karen Green, A.K.A. her archrival. The two of them used to be friends in high school until Juliet found out that her 'friend' was spreading nasty rumors behind her back.

"Hi Juliet" she greeted with a fake smile.

"Hello Karen" the brunette responded with an equally fake grin of her own.

"Do you know who that new guy is over there?" Ah so that was it, Karen always had a reason to pretend to be nice to her and, today, that reason was Marcus.

"That's Marcus, he's a student teacher helping out our class for the semester." Juliet paused before adding, " He seemed really nice when we were talking earlier." She threw that last part in just for spite; as immature as it was, the teen had to let her rival know that she wasn't going to play any games.

"Oh that's nice," Karen responded, pretending to sound disinterested but Juliet knew she got her attention. And judging by the way she walked off in a huff, the brunette knew she got under her skin as well.

"Okay class, I need your attention up here." Pr. Max called out. Juliet sat up in her seat, anxious for this class to get started; actually she was anxious for her hero to start teaching. _I hope Erika gets here soon, I can't wait for her to see this _the teen thought excitedly.

"This is Marcus and he'll help teach this class for the rest of the semester so I expect you all to behave." Pr. Max turned to her hero to introduce him and it was almost comical how Marcus towered her professor. Marcus politely nodded his when his name was mentioned but otherwise he remained very still at the front of the class, it was like he didn't want all the attention. _Poor guy he's probably nervous._

"Alright, they're all yours" and with that Pr. Max sat down at his desk leaving Marcus to teach the class. Her hero glanced her way for a brief moment and when they made eye contact Juliet made sure to give him a big smile of encouragement. It must have worked because he gave her a small smile back and straightened to his impressive height and began to teach.

His voice was perfectly calm as he gave his lesson about Aerobic exercise and Juliet never found health class so interesting. She shamelessly took notes all the while imaging him doing aerobic exercise. Surprisingly she was able to focus on the lecture and not be completely distracted by Marcus.

About 10 minutes into the lesson Erika and Alex walked in and the brunette watched as her best friend did a double take at Marcus. Juliet wore a sly smile as Erika sat down to her right and Alex sat just behind his girlfriend.

None of them noticed Pr. Max's disapproving stare but Marcus seemed to take the interruption in stride as he began drawing a diagram on the white board.

"Who's that?" Erika mouthed at her friend.

Juliet couldn't wait to tell her that the student teacher was the same hunk that saved her.

She tore out a new piece of paper and on it she wrote: '_that's Marcus the new student teacher…oh FYI he's the same guy who saved me from the robber __J__' _The teen then subtlety passed the note to the redhead.

When a loud "What?" was heard throughout the classroom, Juliet knew Erika must have read the last part.

The entire class went quiet and everyone looked in their direction, "Is there a problem ladies?" Pr. Max sternly asked them.

Juliet could feel a green-eyed gaze on her but she was too embarrassed to look up and meet it, so instead she studiously looked at her notes and shook her head in answer to the teacher's question.

Erika, however, recovered faster and responded with "Nope, no problem here."

Juliet almost laughed at her friend's attitude. She shyly looked up to see Marcus staring directly at her; he didn't seem irritated at the interruption just curious and this made her smile with relief. Good, she didn't want to aggravate him; those smooth lips quirked up in amusement and Juliet could feel a responding blush spread over her cheeks.

The lesson continued on uninterrupted, Marcus was a great instructor it seemed like he knew how to command attention from anyone because Juliet saw that everyone was taking notes, including lazy-butt Alex.

From time to time her hero would look over in her direction and at that exact moment the teen found her notes suddenly fascinating. She was acting like a child but she couldn't stop the butterflies from fluttering around in her stomach every time he looked at her.

Juliet wanted to moan when it was time for Pr. Max to take over the class again, she didn't want the best lesson of her hormonal fan-girl life to be over.

The professor began where Marcus left off and already his voice was just background noise; there was no way she could pay attention to her professor so she just watched her infatuation instead.

Marcus quietly gathered his papers and put them in his messenger bag, when he had packed everything away he glanced up and stared directly at her. The brunette was startled by the intense look thrown her way; it was like he knew she was staring at him and that unblinking gaze certainly got her attention.

He motioned to the desk behind her and then pointed at himself. His eyebrows were raised and it seemed like he was asking her something but her brain wasn't catching on to his silent message.

Luckily Erika knew what he was asking, "He wants to sit behind you, say yes!"

Oh, Juliet looked behind her to check the reality of the situation that _he_ wanted to sit behind _her_ and yes the seat was empty. She whipped around in her chair and nodded her head enthusiastically at Marcus, of course he could sit there.

Her heart was beating a little faster as her hero walked down the aisle, and like the stalker that she was proving to be where this man was concerned, she timed it just right so that when he walked past her she caught a whiff of his cologne. His burnt cinnamon smell was addicting.

Juliet threw Erika a panicked look, one saying 'help me to not act like a dork'. Her best friend acted out what she thought Juliet should do; she squared her shoulders and straightened her back and combed her fingers through the back of her hair. The brunette copied her and tried not to think about the raven-haired hunk sitting behind her.

She could hear him shift in the chair as he got settled and she could also hear the scratching of his pen as he took notes. Juliet cast a glance in Karen's direction and what she saw nearly made her laugh; her rival had an ugly scowl on her face as she looked between herself and Marcus. That gave Juliet a vindictive sort of satisfaction.

The teen studiously took notes and tried very hard to ignore the muscle man behind her for the remainder of the lesson.

By the end of class her back was stiff from the position she forced it into for 45 minutes straight but it was worth it, for the rest of class she managed to look calm and focused on taking notes both of which were a lie.

Students rushed to the door as soon as they were dismissed while Juliet and Erika watched as Marcus made his way back to the front of the room and began talking with the professor. Realizing that she wouldn't be able to talk to him after class like she wanted to, the brunette packed up her stuff and followed her friends out of the classroom.

Once they were out in the hall Erika bombarded her with questions, telling the brunette to give her all the details. And she did, Juliet told her about their little chat before class including the horrible eyelash incident and how sweet Marcus was about it. The brunette was surprised when Alex snorted at her.

"Please," he groaned with annoyance, "he's not that great. I actually think he's creepy."

At that Juliet got defensive, "You don't know what you're talking about Alex. He's not creepy, in fact he's a perfect gentleman." Needless to say she wasn't happy with his comment.

"That guy was staring at you the entire class, I think that's some weird behavior." Alex didn't notice that both girls were surprised with his observation as he added; "Besides he gave me the stink eye."

"The what?" his girlfriend asked as they stepped out into a breezy Florida morning. Juliet wondered if Marcus really did stare at her during class; the only explanation she could give would be her big head blocked his view of the teacher.

"You know, the stink eye. It's that evil look you give someone you don't like" the blonde explained.

"I don't believe that, what reason would he have to give you the stink eye?" the redhead asked exactly what Juliet was thinking.

"I don't know but he defiantly did." Alex shrugged the comment away. "Oh yeah I think I left my cell phone in your car babe. Can we go get it?"

Her best friend glowed at the pet name and they both took off towards the parking lot after a short goodbye. She watched as they walked off holding hands, _they make a cute couple_ she though idly.

Juliet was about to head across campus to her next class when she spotted Marcus emerging from the health building. _Should I talk to him? No, he looks like he's in a hurry to get somewhere. _And he did, her hero practically burst through the doors and whipped his head left and right, searching for something.

With that thought the brunette turned around and started walking to her next class. She felt a light tap on her shoulder and when she saw who it was, her mouth fell open. _How did he get here so fast?_

The teen had to crane her neck to see Marcus in all his glory, standing right next to her. He wore a sheepish smile as he gripped the strap to his messenger bag, "I looked for you after class was over." He spoke so softly she had trouble hearing him over the wind. It was an endearing little quirk.

"I saw you talking to the professor so I didn't want to interrupt you" she explained while tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Plus I have another class after health… so I had to leave." the brunette finished lamely, why did she have to babble when she got nervous?

"Oh," he said and that one word hung between them as they drifted into silence; not knowing what to do Juliet just stood in front of him waiting his next move. Marcus soon broke the silence, "Well, can I walk you to your next class?"

"Yes!" she answered too quickly, and too loudly. Saving herself from further embarrassment, Juliet began walking towards her next class and heard Marcus fall into step beside her.

What was she supposed to say to him? Deep breath Juliet she told herself, tell him you thought he was a good instructor. Yes that's perfect, now she just needs the courage to open her mouth and actually say it to him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked suddenly, his smooth baritone calming her nerves.

Her steps faltered with her surprise, "What/ I'm fine," she was a little confused at his sudden use of pleasantries but as long as they were conversing the brunette wasn't going to complain. "How are you?" she added politely.

He gave her a small chuckle before answering, "I am well but I was referring to Monday's … incident" his voice darkened considerably at the end of his statement. His tone was rough, it sounded like it was hard for him to talk about that subject.

"Oh, well I'm doing ok. Work gave me the week off and I think I could use some time to just relax." Juliet was pleased with her ability to speak through her nerves. She snuck a peek at her companion and saw him staring at her with that intense gaze again; those brilliant green eyes looked brighter in the light of day. She hastily focused back on avoiding bumping into students on the walkway; he might not mind being caught staring but she didn't share that confidence if her perpetual blush was any indicator.

"Good, I am glad they gave you some time off. It should relieve some stress for you." His voice told of his genuine concern he had for her; it was clear and strong with no false

note that she could detect. This made her smile and a warm feeling bloomed in her chest.

"Yeah well it's a little hard to relax when I'm worried about my paycheck." She causally told him feeling much more comfortable around him.

"Why are you worried?"

"I'm not getting paid for the time missed so my next paycheck is going to be small and I kinda need the money," she explained to him. With her newfound comfort Juliet wasn't worried that she might sound needy.

"Hmm." It was the kind of hum you get when the person you're talking with is deep in thought. Unfortunately Juliet never got a hint as to what he was thinking because when she looked up at him, Marcus turned his head away from her, sending his hair glittering gently in the sun as he did so.

Buzz, Buzz. Her pocket started vibrating meaning someone was calling her. "Can you hang on a sec?" she asked Marcus, taking out her phone to indicate she was getting a phone call. He nodded his head as they stopped at a secluded spot so she would be able to hear. The caller ID said 'Robert' why would her brother be calling her?

"Hello?" she answered somewhat confused since her and Robert rarely ever called each other.

"Juliet I need you to pick me up. I got into a car accident." Her brother bluntly stated.

"What! Are you ok?" she shouted into her phone. Juliet saw she had startled Marcus with her outburst because his eyes grew wide with alarm.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," Robert completely brushed off her concern. "But I can't drive the car so I need you to pick me up. I'm on Congress and 1st."

"Okay I'm leaving now. I'll call you when I get close." With that they both hung up, stupid Robert he nearly gave her a heart attack, hasn't he ever heard of tact?

"Juliet, is everything alright?" Marcus questioned, he was standing very close to her and the brunette could see worry in his green eyes.

"Uh, yeah I guess." The teen took a deep breath before speaking again, "My brother just got into a car accident and it scared me a little." She almost had a flashback to when she had her first accident; it was scary stuff.

Marcus still looked worried as he silently watched her, his looming presence so close to her gave the teen a sense of calm. "I have to go and pick him up," she explained while absentmindedly jerking her thumb behind her in the direction of her car.

Her gorgeous hero sent his hair flying in the breeze as he nodded to her; things were going well between the two of them, it was a shame things had to end like this.

Juliet didn't know what to do as her brain registered the fact that Marcus was slowly leaning towards her; green eyes never leaving hers.

His wide shoulders bent down to her level and the material of his shirt stretched as he opened his arms. _He's going to hug me_ she realized with awe; he moved with deliberate slowness almost as if he was waiting for a sign of rejection from her. When he found none Marcus closed his big arms around her shoulders in one of the gentlest hugs she had ever received. The term _gentle giant_ crossed her mind before it went blank in the feel of him pressed against her.

Her bulky backpack made it uncomfortable for her to reach up and put her arms around him but she persevered and eventually she held onto his broad back; she could feel hard planes of muscle that was covered by the smooth material of his shirt. His cologne surrounded her and coupled with the fact that he initiated the hug was enough to make her heart pound.

"Drive safe." He breathed in her ear as he slowly released her from his warm embrace taking his wonderful smell with him. Her hands lingered on his back for just a moment before she let them fall back to her sides.

She took a step back and looked up at him, grinning like an idiot. His features were soft, peaceful as she waved good-bye to him, Juliet turned around and started heading for the parking lot. Before she even took two steps Marcus called to her, "Juliet," he shouted forcing her to stop. Anything he wanted to say she would happily listen to, "I'll call you tonight" he finished with a grin of his own. A responding blush made its way to her cheeks as she dumbly nodded his way; she was too stunned to do much else.

The long trip to her car didn't seem so long as thoughts of Marcus filled her head.

Juliet saw the flashing lights as she pulled into a nearby parking lot, close to the four cop cars she saw surrounding the accident. She got out of her car and walked straight to her brother who was sitting on the curb next to his wrecked car. Pieces of blue metal lined her path as she approached her brother.

"Robert" she called out to him and his brown head turned to face her. All her life she had been told how much they look alike but Juliet could never see it. They both had brown hair and even though Robert was a couple years older than her both siblings looked about the same age; on occasion people called them fraternal twins ( something she immediately corrected).

"Hey" he called back.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Juliet looked at the crumpled hood of his car, "That looks pretty bad."

"Yeah, the other car got the worst damage," Robert said pointing to a small, mangled car just a few yards ahead of them. "She pulled out of the plaza and came right into my lane, and I couldn't stop in time."

"She?"

"The person who hit me. She's been talking to police so I haven't been able to talk to her but look now," her brother stated pointing to an attractive woman "she isn't busy anymore. Come on, I want to see if she's ok."

The brunette rolled her eyes at that; of course he wanted to talk with her. Even from this distance she could tell the woman was good-looking.

They approached the woman's car cautious of all the debris littering their way and Juliet watched as her brother made his 'move'. "Excuse me, I'm Robert I was in the blue car."

The woman was clearly upset, her eyes were bloodshot, her black hair looked like she had been running her fingers through it constantly and she looked very pale "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry about all this. I am usually a good driver." Her voice quivered at the end and Juliet felt her heart go out to the woman, this was a difficult situation to be in.

Ever the hero Robert rushed to comfort this damsel in distress, he inched forward and used his 'nice guy' tone of voice, "Hey it's ok, at least no one was hurt. That's what's important."

The woman gave them a brief nod, "You are right." She turned her red eyes to Juliet and suddenly the brunette got chills. Ebony haired woman looked at the teen like she was surveying her; critical red eyes pierced her hazel ones and Juliet felt like she was glued to the spot.

Whoever this woman was Juliet got a bad vibe from her. Luckily the strange woman turned her gaze back to Robert and she was free from the weirdness, "My name is Marissa," she shyly told her brother.

Robert jumped at the chance to chat with the beauty but Juliet wasn't so eager. "Whenever you're done here," the teen indicated between the two crash victims in an annoyed voice "let me know because I still need to make my last class." And with that she stomped to her car to wait for her stupid brother. Did he appreciate her coming to get him? No, he was more focused on the hot chick he hit with his car.

Later that night Juliet was sitting on the couch, her entire family was out doing their own thing which was a rare treat because that meant she had the house to herself. She used this peaceful time to watch loads of T.V. She had no idea what she was watching but that didn't matter; it was the fact that she had the T.V. all to herself that the teen cared about.

Juliet decided to pick her lazy butt off the couch and make a turkey sandwich, one of her most favorite foods. She had her head in the refrigerator getting out ingredients when she heard her phone ring in the living room; she must have left it on the couch. She picked it up just on the third ring and saw that an unknown number was calling her.

"Hello?" she answered hesitantly.

"Juliet" sighed a silky voice, "It's Marcus." Her heart instantly picked up speed with those words; she plopped on the couch as her brain processed what was happening. As soon as it got the message that a gorgeous model was on the other line it kicked back into gear and allowed her to give him an overjoyed hello.

There was an obvious smile in his voice when he answered, "I was wondering if everything was alright, with your brother." Juliet had to turn the volume down on the T.V. so she could hear him; he spoke softly almost shyly.

"Yeah everything's okay, he's alright but his car took some damage." She couldn't believe he called but her brother was not something she wanted to talk about.

"It is lucky he was not hurt."

Without his disarming presence to muddle her senses Juliet found herself braver, less nervous. "He's defiantly lucky," she said almost absentmindedly, Juliet was focused on not messing up her next statement. "Um I didn't mention it before but I thought you were a great instructor today."

On the other end there was a brief pause then, "Truly? You thought I did well?" his voice held some apprehension, which made her believe that he really was nervous teaching in front of the class.

"Absolutely, you got everyone to pay attention to the lesson, even my friend Alex. And he never takes notes." Hopefully he would take that as a complement.

"Alex?" he questioned "Was that the boy sitting near you?"

"Yeah he was the one with the blonde hair sitting in the back." Why does he want to know about Alex?

"I see" he answered in a deep voice. It was a good thing she didn't chew her nails as a nervous habit otherwise they would be nothing but nubs right now; the lull in the conversation was killing her, what should she say?

She could hear Marcus take several deep breaths before speaking again. "Juliet, may I ask you something?"

_Oh my god_, her heart beat loudly as her palms began to sweat. _Deep breath_ she told herself, the teen could feel her stomach fill with very nervous butterflies. "Sure." Her voice sounded rough but at least she was able to speak past the lump in her throat.

His smooth baritone was hopeful as he cautiously asked, "Would you like to go to diner with me?"

Juliet sat there frozen, unable to believe she had heard him right; that lasted about a second before her hormones screamed at her to answer him. "Yes!" she responded with an embarrassing amount of enthusiasm. "That sounds great," she finished more subdued.

Marcus let out a strangled breath, "I am so glad."

Her cheeks hurt with her goofy grin but she just couldn't quell the excitement that accompanied being asked out by a gorgeous hunk. "There is a restaurant near the campus I heard served some outstanding dishes. It is called Paradiso, would you like to go there?"

Paradiso was a fancy Italian restaurant that Juliet always heard good things about; it was really sophisticated and really expensive, she wondered if he knew that. "That's perfect, that restaurant is suppose to have the best Italian food" she gushed.

"Excellent, are you busy tomorrow night?" his voice was care-free and he sounded as happy as she was.

"No, tomorrow is fine. How about we meet at Paradiso around 7?"

"Perfect." That one word melted her bones, she didn't misread his signals earlier today he really was interested in her.

"Great, I cant wait." She truthfully told him, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yes, I will see you for diner. Goodbye Juliet."

"Goodbye Marcus" and with that she hung up. Her heart was still pounding and she still wore a huge smile. She was giddy with excitement and the brunette couldn't believe her luck, a man as sweet as Marcus asked her out on a date. And he was breath taking too, what a terrific combination.

With her phone in her hand Juliet shamelessly did her 'happy dance' all it consisted of was her jumping up and down with a big grin on her face. She was excited and nothing could bring her down, "Oh," she said to herself, "I have to call Erika!" And with that the brunette ended her day on a very good note.

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Sorry again for the late update. Please don't hate me!

If you dont know what Sudoku is here is a link: .org/wiki/Sudoku

Alkedema


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Devotion and Desire

Hello readers, I am so sorry this chapter is once again slow in coming out but my muse hasn't been around lately. This chapter is pure fluff, the next one will have some action.

Thank you to all who reviewed and alerted this story.

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The entire estate shook with the force of one extremely agitated demon. Said demon had just burst through the front doors of his family's home, it was a separate building apart from the rest of the estate. Here is where the royal family gathers during any free time they might have and Marcus was hoping his sister had some free time right now because he needed to see her before his stress level sky-rocketed.

Marcus had not slept properly since his Quivering and it was beginning to wear on his nerves. His patience was stretched thin, too thin for him to calmly select an outfit for tonight. _Tonight_ he sighed. His date with Juliet was scheduled for 7 o'clock this evening and the Demon Prince was very restless; he wanted everything to go smoothly.

He quickly made his way across the estate to his sister's rooms and knocked loudly on the oak door. The wood rattled in its frame. He heard a sharp gasp from inside the room and internally winced; he didn't mean to frighten his little sister.

Her eyes were wide as she opened the door, "Marcus?" Claire asked surprised. Her oldest brother looked like a mess, strands of black hair had escaped his tie and his expression was similar to a deer caught in headlights. "What's wrong?"

Her brother appeared to be choosing his words carefully, "I need your help." He whispered, anxiety clear in his voice.

"With what?" her own voice held urgency because Claire wasn't accustomed to seeing her level-headed brother so worked up. Marcus was never verbose and trying to get information from him was like pulling teeth, stressful.

Marcus was closed lipped for a short while, "My mate" he finally said. Her brother's eyes never left her face but the younger demon could tell he wasn't focusing on her. His thoughts were on his mysterious human that none of them knew anything about.

When Marcus rushed out of the estate in a whirlwind of panic on Monday, he left the family confused. Her father wouldn't allow anyone to follow him saying the cause for his departure most likely revolved around his mate. And the king was right, that night Marcus returned when the family and a few close advisors were having diner; he simply stated that his mate had been in danger. Then he wanted Zivan to follow him out of the room. Claire hadn't seen her brothers since then.

"Is it about what happened Monday?" she tried, maybe that would get him talking.

Her brother blinked rapidly as if waking from a trance, "No that is resolved."

Claire couldn't help herself; she just had to ask, "What did happen Monday?"

His eyes flashed red as he clenched his hands into white knuckled fists and Claire instinctively took a step back knowing that distance equaled safety when her brother'seyes changed. Marcus stayed silent for several moments breathing deeply as he tried to compose himself. She didn't mean to upset him, the younger demon was only curious about his human but it obviously was a mistake. "I'm sorry Marcus," she said in a small voice.

The powerful demon shook his head in response, "Forgive me sister" he apologized once he had calmed down.

Deciding not to linger on the sore subject, Claire ushered her older brother into her room. "Come on in and sit down so we can talk."

Marcus quietly shut the door behind him and followed his sister to a small writing desk near the window. Claire watched her brother carefully looking for any sign that he was going to open up to her; his hands were folded in front of him as he sat down next to his sister.

His eyes were downcast as he spoke, "I am at a loss. I need some… female advice."

"With your mate?" Claire asked just as a precaution, what advice would he need from her- "Oh my god! You have a date" she shouted as female intuition told the cause for her brother's nerves. Of course it was his mate, what else could get him to act so vulnerable?

He just looked at her with pleading green eyes, which confirmed her suspicion that he did indeed have a date. Marcus didn't look like a powerful demon right now, he just looked overwhelmed and completely out of his element.

With a huge smile on her face the younger demon said, "Don't worry Marcus I know what to do" She stood up and pierced the demon before her with critical eyes; "We should probably trim your hair a bit and I suggest you shave that five o'clock shadow."

Marcus fidgeted under her criticism, fingering his beard and ducking his head. Claire immediately softened her comments, "I just meant that you should clean up a bit. It's not that-"

"My hair is out of fashion, isn't it?" He interrupted her apology with his eyes downcast. Now Claire understood the reason behind her brother's anxiety, he was self-conscious. "Marcus I never knew you were vain." At that he snapped his gaze to her face; both siblings knew her statement was far from the truth. "Stop fussing," she reprimanded her brother. "You have got to know you're a catch."

Marcus heaved a sigh of defeat, seeing her sense of the situation; he stilled the nervous tempo of his tapping leg. "I desperately want this to go well," he admitted in a quiet voice, his eyes once again studying the grooves in the floor. Claire felt a pang in her heart for her brother; _this mating stuff is no laughing matter if it can bring someone as strong as Marcus to his knees_ she thought seriously.

"I suggest that you don't change your hairstyle right now. It will only give you something else to worry about." He nodded his dark head in assent. With a deep exhale that sounded like he was expelling all his insecurities Marcus found himself able to 'stop fussing'.

Taking his hand the smaller demon led her brother out of her room, "Come on, let's go raid your closet." Claire felt a large hand on the top of her head, ruffling her auburn hair. She smiled at the action; it was her brother's way of expressing affection.

"You are much better at giving advice than Zivan was." It wasn't his normal indifferent tone that threw off the younger demon, it was the fact that he went to Zivan for any type of advice that made her gawk.

"You asked Zivan for advice?" she questioned incredulously.

The corners of her brother's mouth twitched in a grimace before his features smoothed out once more. "Unfortunately" he confirmed.

"Please tell me what you asked him" Claire begged her brother, she was too curious to let this pass.

Opening the door to his quarters, Marcus let his sister enter the room first before shutting the wooden door softly behind him. Very quietly he answered, "I asked him what to do after receiving my mate's phone number."

Claire's eyes widened, she could only guess at what kind of stupid information Zivan gave him.

"He said I should wait a couple days before calling her." Green eyes grew sharp at the recollection and she assumed that the 'advice' didn't work out so well. _How did his mate take it? _She wondered but decided not to push Marcus for too many details; instead she made her way to his closet to pick out an outfit.

Almost as if he read her mind (which was a possibility) her brother responded, "She did not like it."

He didn't need to elaborate, 'she' was his mate and 'it' was the stupid advice the idiot gave him.

Of course she didn't like it Claire thought to herself, no woman wants to wait for a man to call them it's a turn off. When Marcus gave her a curious stare she realized she musthave spoken out loud. Turning to face him completely she regarded her older brother with a questioning look, "Is that why you left with Zivan on Monday? To ask him for advice?"

He was shaking his head no even before she had finished, "No, I was in need of his computer skills and he happened to be the only person around when I asked for help."

Oh. Claire was surprised he actually answered, her brother wasn't one for conversation but apparently anything remotely related to his mate loosened his tongue for which she was grateful. With a smile on her face she playfully reprimanded her brother, telling him never to make that mistake again.

Marcus let out a rare laugh and agreed, his whole demeanor relaxed and Claire was once again wishing she could meet the human who was changing her brother for the better.

About a thousand miles away from the royal estate, that human was currently having a minor meltdown.

"Oh my god, I still have his sweater!" Juliet screeched horrified at the thought.

"Whose sweater?" Erika asked, startled by her friend's outburst.

"Marcus! Who else would I be talking about?" the brunette shot back, her nerves were making her cranky. Her best friend had rushed over to her house around noon today to help the troubled teen calmly pick out an outfit for tonight's date. Calm was not in Juliet's vocabulary today. Her stomach was filled with butterflies and every time she glanced at the clock it felt like her heart was stuck in her throat.

"Whoa, easy girl." The red head held up her hands trying to ward off Juliet's attack.

"I'm sorry Erika; I didn't mean to snap at you. I guess its just nerves" the brunette apologized. She needed her friend's help and that was no way to treat her.

"Forget it," she waved off her apology. "Now tell me why you have Marcus' sweater while you try these on." Her friend pulled out a pair of black flats from her closet and shoved them at Juliet to try on.

"He gave it to me on Monday after the 'incident'. I totally forgot about it." The teen slipped her feet into the shoes and surprisingly they fit well, "I like these. I never even knew I had them."

"That's because you're fashion disabled." Her friend remarked casually, both girls knew it was true Juliet was not fashion forward. "Now," her friend continued "we need to decide on an outfit for you."

That statement brought back the butterflies in full force, "I still can't believe I have a date tonight."

Erika had brought some of her own clothes when she came over this morning and now she was searching in her massive bag for something Juliet could wear tonight. "Well you better because it's only 4 hours away" her friend remarked.

"Ugh, Erika that did not help calm my nerves. And what should I do about his sweater?" Juliet complained to her friend.

A shirt and skirt landed next to the brunette on the bed, "Give it back to him at dinner, it'd be weird if you kept it."

The brunette huffed at that, "I know that, but should I wash it?" It wasn't dirty or anything but isn't that the polite thing to do before returning something?

"I don't know J, do whatever you want with it," her friend said exasperated, apparently her mind was on fashion and not gorgeous hunks like Juliet's was. "Right now you need to focus on what you're going to wear tonight." The redhead finished her speech then laid out three outfits in front of her and forcefully demanded that she "choose."

The brunette eyed the clothes skeptically, all of them were pretty but each top was paired with a skirt. Juliet sighed. She really couldn't get away with nice pants at a place like Paradiso's. Skirts were not her favorite articles of clothing but for tonight, for the date she would deal with it.

"That one is cute," she finally said while pointing to a blue blouse and a solid black skirt. Both were modest and the outfit would defiantly fit Paradiso's fancy dress code.

"Good choice, that skirt will defiantly flatter you. Now try them on." And with that Erika pushed her into the bathroom to change, throwing the shoes in after her.

Changing into the clothes was simple enough but accepting how she looked in them was another matter. Juliet was never comfortable with her body before but she also wasn't the type of person who obsessed with how they look either (she did plenty of that in high school). She just simply didn't like her body; recently she joined a gym to face her problems head on. The teen could already see improvement with her form but her body wasn't where she wanted it yet.

With an anguished sigh Juliet though about Marcus and made the horrible comparison about how fit and gorgeous he was as compared to her…plainness.

Erika pounded on the bathroom door, "Come on out, I want to see how you look." Juliet rolled her eyes at her friend's impatience. The brunette opened the door and spread her arms out, showing how the outfit looked on her. She twirled around so the redhead could see how the back looked, "So? What do you think?"

"I like it, that's the one you should wear tonight" her friend approved.

"What's going on tonight?" asked an unwanted voice. The brunette turned back around to see her mom in the hallway eyeing the two friends speculatively. Juliet didn't tell her family that she had a date tonight because she didn't want to deal with their questions. Erika ignored her friend's silent plea for discretion; "Juliet has a big date tonight."

"Oh really?" her mom gave the brunette a disapproving look. "Why wasn't I told about this?" she asked.

Juliet groaned, she did not need the added stress today "Because you would act like a mom if I told you and I'm already nervous enough."

"And what does that mean, young lady?" her mom had adopted an intimidating pose, her hands were on her hips and Juliet knew that she meant business. The teen gave her unusually silent friend a quick glance before answering, "It's just that you would ask questions and that would make me even more nervous. Erika is here to help me get ready."

Juliet had learned during her rebellious adolescent years that her mom was too smart to be fooled by any half-baked lies so she wisely told the truth hoping her mom would just drop it.

She didn't. "Well, what's his name? Do I know him?"

The silence her normally talkative friend exhibited shattered; "His name is Marcus and he is super sweet." That would have been bad enough but her friend just rambled on saying, "And he is the guy who saved Juliet from that robber."

Oh, no. Her mom's eyes practically bugged out of her head at that little piece of information; Juliet's hazel eyes also widened her mom didn't know that someone helped her that day.

Needless to say she wasn't happy, "Explain."

Erika slowly backed out of the hallway at her mother's demanding tone, "I'll just wait in your room Juliet." And with that her friend left her alone with her angry mom.

Thinking quickly Juliet formed a somewhat believable story; "Erika was just exaggerating mom," _kind of like I'm doing right now_ "Marcus was there in the store when it happened and he helped me calm down" she explained with what she hopped was a believable expression on her face.

The teen didn't want to lie but if she told her mom what really happened she might not let Juliet go out on a date tonight. Besides if she told the truth then she would have to mention the gun and that wouldn't go well, at least that was what she told herself.

Her mother hummed in thought before responding, "I want to meet him."

"What?" the brunette shrieked. "Mom please, this is our first date! I don't want to ruin it with 'hey we barley know each other but my mom wants to meet you', that would be so embarrassing" she pleaded. She could practically see the uneasy expression that would be on his face if she asked that.

Her mom was undeterred. "I want to know who my daughter is dating."

"So you'd rather me have a panic attack?" the teen questioned, desperate to derail her mother off this embarrassing path. If she were talking to her dad then things wouldn't be so bad; he was the good cop to her mom's bad cop attitude. He was a devote Catholic and Juliet always thought that his religion made him so nice; he always tries to do good by others and give everyone a fair chance. In fact her whole family was Catholic but her parents were more practicing then the rest of them. When her first boyfriend came to the house her dad was very hospitable while her mom grilled the poor kid; she was certainly was the tough-as-nails kind of parent.

"There's no need to be so dramatic," her mother half-heartedly scolded. "If it's such a big deal then forget I said anything." Juliet heaved a huge sigh of relief that was a bit unexpected.

"But, if things get serious with this boy then I _will_ meet him understand?" the teen nodded enthusiastically; she would agree to anything if it meant saving herself from embarrassment (for the time being at least).

"Your brother threw the same fit this morning when I found out he had a date tonight also" her mom remarked causally. That comment confused the brunette, "Eddie has a girlfriend?"

Mrs. Chase gave her daughter a droll stare; she obviously didn't appreciate her humor. Eddie was her seven-year-old brother who had special needs; needless to say he does not have a girlfriend. The entire family treated him just like any other little brother and sometimes it was hard to remember his mental disabilities.

"Very funny. Robert wanted to take my car tonight but he wouldn't tell me why he needed it."

Juliet guessed the rest, "So you went into mom mode and discovered the truth."

"Naturally." Her mom agreed with a playful smile on her face "He has a date with that woman he got into an accident with. Can you believe that boy?"

Actually she could, her brother was just that weird. She shrugged in answer instead of making a smart remark. "Mom I have to get ready so are we done here?" While temporarily forgotten, Juliet's nerves flooded back in full force at the thought of her date.

"Sure honey. You look very beautiful in that blouse. That is a lovely shade of blue."

"Thanks mom" the teen muttered embarrassed by the complement. She quickly dashed into her room to yell at her big-mouthed best friend.

Freshly cleaned, styled and dressed the anxious teen arrived at Paradiso's at exactly 6:55 p.m. Juliet tried to stop the butterflies from flying around in her stomach by taking deep calming breaths. It didn't work.

Images of her intimidating hero flashed in her head every time her heart rate reached a somewhat normal level. His stunning features knocked her off balance and turned her into a pile of hormonal mush; her plan to speak coherently in front of him focused on deep breaths and keeping her nerves to a tolerable first-date level. Hopefully, she would be able to keep a steady thought under those sharp green eyes.

What fueled Juliet's nerves was the thought of showing up at the restaurant before Marcus. The teen didn't know if she could handle the embarrassment of waiting for him in a restaurant filled with judging people. Perhaps she could take a couple minutes to calm down and listen to her music so she didn't walk into Paradiso's like a complete mess. Her heart was in her throat and the organ was pumping over time. Juliet was startled by her extreme nervousness, this wasn't the first time she went on a date but it was her first time dating someone as intimidating as Marcus. He held an air of dangerous confidence but every time they talked he seemed honest and gentle; a perfect combination in her opinion.

Juliet took a deep breath, remembering a calming technique she once read in a yoga book; slowly she relaxed her muscles, starting with her fingers and working her way up to her tense shoulders. The teen grinned when she though of what her best friend would say if she saw Juliet doing some yoga instead of going on a date. Hopefully Erika would understand her need to lower her stress level.

After a couple of minutes she was able to loosen her shoulders and gain a sense of calm… well maybe not calm but she was in a less nervous state than before. Looking at the clock she saw that six minutes had passed. It was 7:01. Game time.

She was here. He could sense that Juliet had arrived, the faint bond they shared reacted to her proximity. Marcus tensed in his chair and eagerly looked towards the front door; his view was partially obstructed by a plant but he would still be able to see who walked through the door.

After a few moments his mate still had not walked into the restaurant and he grew uneasy, and this time it had nothing to do with first date nerves. Had something happened to her? Why didn't she walk into the restaurant, he knew she was here.

The hostess had sat him in a booth next to a large window and the Demon Prince anxiously looked out and tried to spot her car with no luck. Their bond wasn't strong enough for him to sense what car she was in, not yet anyway. The thought of being stood up crept into the back of his mind and it made him physically ill. There had to be some other reason as to why she hasn't showed up yet. He frantically thought of any plausible reason as to why she wasn't entering the restaurant yet.

Perhaps she was on the phone; that sounded logical. She would want to wait until she finished her conversation before coming into the restaurant. Yes that must be it. The proud demon latched onto that idea before his doubtful thoughts could consume him.

His human had him so under her spell that it was frightening; he was a mess knowing that she was intentionally keeping herself away from him. His beast was troubled with Juliet's absence; it too knew that she was close but waiting for her was torture. The entire day it was on edge the creature's mood reflecting how Marcus felt, distressed.

He had to constantly placate the beast's need for their mate by either tapping into the bond created by the protection spell or by sniffing her scent off of his clothes.

Her unique aroma clung to the outfit he wore when he taught Juliet's class. Certainly not one of his finer moments Marcus had secretly gathered information about his lovely mate and in an act to assimilate himself into her life he found out what college she attended. Then with his brother's help the demon stooped to a desperate low and joined the same school as her. Protective instincts forced his hand; it wasn't an option of want it was his duty to safeguard his chosen mate.

Marcus thought about how strong the Quivering instinct really was. His whole life changed overnight, his priorities now focused on this one fragile human who had him desperately vying for her affections. A dull ache grew in his chest and he knew that only Juliet's presence could make it fade away.

The clatter of plates startled him from his musings. Coming back into reality Marcus realized he was idly twirling the stem of the flower he intended to give her between his fingers. He sighed and gently put it back on the table casting a nervous glance at the front doors.

After a few anxious minutes had passed, the demon's thoughts turned dark and Marcus decided that something must be wrong and that his mate needed his assistance. He shot up from the table and just as he was about to storm through the restaurant, a mango rich scent reached his nose.

_Mate_.

All movement stopped for the Demon Prince. His rapid heart rate slowed and his frantic breathing calmed. Standing, he was taller than most of the people in the restaurant and could easily see his mate walk through the front door, the breeze from outside had brought her scent straight to the hungry demon. Marcus was frozen as he took in her stunning features, the ache in his chest died away.

His beast surfaced to the forefront of his mind as they both shared his vision of the beauty standing by the front doors.

Straight brown hair fell past slim shoulders and framed a youthful face. She worried her lush bottom lip between her teeth and even from across the restaurant he could tell the brunette looked nervous. She couldn't possibility be as nervous as he felt; her entire sanity didn't depend on whether or not this night went smoothly. Marcus needed to make a good impression so she would continue to see him.

The patron's idle chatter died away as he concentrated on his mate's soft voice as she conversed with the hostess, "Welcome to Paradiso's, do you have a reservation?"

"Um, I'm meeting someone here" his mate softly replied. Her voice washed away all his anxiety and propelled his body into action.

"Juliet" he called out loud and clear. Several heads turned his way but he paid no attention to them; his focus was solely on the little brunette who was looking at him with wide hazel eyes. He smiled when he saw her blush and he positively grinned when she started walking towards him her gaze never leaving his face.

Finally she was here with him. His mate stopped just out of arm's reach and shyly looked up to make eye contact. "Good evening Juliet." He wondered if she could detect the adoration he had for her in his voice because Marcus certainly couldn't contain it.

"Hello Marcus" she said. And just like that she chained his beast, stilling its eager attempts at freedom. The creature now sat calmly in the back of his mind, content to watch their interaction as a spectator. It was something he appreciated greatly, this date would be hard enough without him focusing his attention on the temperamental creature.

Marcus stared at her smiling face entranced by her presence; those hazel eyes looked at him with such warmth he could feel his heart melt. He took in the rest of her form with appreciative eyes, the shade of her blue blouse complemented her skin and the cut gave him a torturous teasing glance at her cleavage. The fabric of her skirt was form fitting allowing him to admire her soft curves.

His body reacted to her sweet allure, warmth spread across his skin in heated arousal.

He wanted to see what her clothes were hiding; he could only imagine the perfection of her exposed skin.

Juliet subtly shifted on her feet and immediately his eyes snapped back to hers. "That color looks lovely with your skin" he heard himself say. His mate blushed in response and that red stain captivated him.

Forcing his eyes away from her, the Demon Prince silently rebuked himself for his wayward mind. He gestured to the table, "Please sit."

Juliet pushed her purse and sweater he hadn't even noticed she was carrying down the bench before she slid into the booth and Marcus followed suit accidentally brushing her knee under the table with his own. That brief contact sent shock waves up his leg and judging by his mate's rigid posture she must have felt it too. _It is just the mating bond_ he silently told her, _it's nothing to fear._

"I am glad you could make it," he told her honestly. In fact he was ecstatic that she was here, the nerves from before had now turned to excitement. Discreetly, he inhaled deeply, taking her scent into his lungs; her natural mango aroma was mixed with the smell of lilacs. The floral addition must be the scent of the lotion she used.

Marcus' sharp eyes caught the slight tensing of her shoulders as his brunette hesitated, she seemed to edit her thoughts before responding "Thank you for inviting me."

"Truly, it is my pleasure" he replied with a hint of longing in his voice. He couldn't stop staring at her like she was a mirage, a figment that his imagination had created out of desperation.

He could hear the many conversations of the people around them with his sensitive ears, he could smell all kinds of food with his sharp nose but they were all background distractions to the person who held his focus like no one else could. Juliet, all his senses were fine-tuned to pick up her unique essence.

"Hello and welcome to Paradiso's." a cheerful voice interrupted. The couple turned to see a young male wearing a black apron standing at the end of their table. The scrawny boy wore a fake smile that seemed to be required for his profession.

"My name's Brian and I'll be your server this evening." In a seemingly casual motion, the boy shifted his weight onto his right foot bringing him closer to the demon's date. Marcus watched the movement with narrowed eyes. "Can I start you off with something to drink?" The question was solely directed to Juliet. Something burned inside Marcus when she looked at the server, selfishly he wanted those hazel eyes to focus solely on him.

It may have been childish but male demons were extremely possessive of their mates and they were notorious for their wild emotions; the Demon Prince found himself engulfed in the irrational emotion of jealously.

He didn't like the male; he was staring at Juliet far too long. A small hiss escaped him inaudible to human ears.

"A water with lemon please." Juliet's voice soothed his jealous anger, and allowed him to respond calmly. "I will also have a water" with practiced control he managed to contain his aggravated glare to the human.

Marcus turned away from the boy and pointedly focused on Juliet; an obvious dismissal that the boy was able to recognize and obey.

He cringed at the shocked look on her face, apparently she had sensed his irritation towards the waiter but hopefully she did not guess could why he was rude. Marcus waited for her to question him about it.

Juliet's eyes drifted away from his face and he felt more than saw their heated gaze glide down to his hands. He was confused when her hazel eyes widened and a soft 'oh' formed on her pink lips. Looking down he saw that once again he was twirling the flower stem. Wincing at his lack of composure, Marcus gently placed the colorful flower in front of his mate.

"Thank you," she said softly, carefully picking up the flower by its stem. Fascinated by her movements he watched her put the plant to her small nose, inhaling deeply. When Juliet looked back to him she had a playful smile on her face, "This is the first time someone has ever given me an orchid."

Marcus relaxed his shoulders and let out a quiet breath. This was a better topic of conversation than that boy. He lifted his eyebrows slightly, "Did you expect a rose?"

"Actually I didn't expect to get a flower at all." She said truthfully with a spark in her hazel eyes. He had pleased her; this made him stand a little taller.

Unashamed, he let his happiness show on his face; usually he kept a stoic expression as a way of defense to keep his emotions under control. But his mate broke through all those barriers. She made is acceptable to smile freely. "I believe a beautiful woman should receive a beautiful flower," he told her with the utmost honesty.

Juliet seemed to shy away from his compliment, almost as if she hasn't received them enough to know how to react to his honesty. His mate instead responded to his unsaid statement, "You're right, orchids are much prettier than roses."

Marcus simply stared at the beauty in front of him, letting her voice wash over him. She effortlessly grabbed his attention, the soft lull of her heart and the slow smooth rhythm of her breathing all made him crave more of her.

"I have something for you too" she said breaking him out of his peaceful musings.

_What could she possibly give him?_ Puzzled he watched as his mate reached next to her and pulled out the sweater he gave her Monday.

She was clutching the sweater close to her chest, "I forgot to give this back to you."

Marcus was filled with a primal satisfaction as he saw material that had once covered his body was now held in her tiny grasp. It was comical to him that she wanted to return it, "I do not want it back."

Her eyes widened and the increase pounding of her heart caused her cheeks to pool with blood. He watched her curious reaction as she responded, "I washed it." Her voice was slightly offended.

His own eyes widened as the implications of his statement set in. "No, I didn't mean it like that," he rushed to assure her, "I _want_ you to keep it."

"Why?" came her incredulous response.

Instinct demanded her to carry a mark of his possession, to alert others that she was his. It was telling him to sink his fangs into her neck to taste her blood then have her taste his; he shuddered at the image. The exchange of blood was a powerful step in the mating process allowing one partner to share

But obviously that would not happen any time soon so he shoved those thoughts away forcefully. "I want you to have something of me. Besides you are cold", he motioned to the Goosebumps on her forearms. "Please wear it."

She subtly rubbed her arms in an attempt to find warmth but to no avail. "Ok then," she conceded. Just like that first day, he was memorized with the motions she used to put the sweater over her head. Gracefully her brown head popped out of the top and when she saw him staring a grin appeared on her youthful face. "Thank you."

At that he nodded but didn't voice his opinion that she looked incredible in his clothes.

Once again that annoying boy interrupted his time with Juliet, something he did not appreciate. "Here you go, two waters," the nuisance announced as he set two glasses on the table. His drink landed in front of him unceremoniously while the human placed Juliet's glass in front of her with deliberate gusto. The Demon Prince ground his teeth firmly together in frustration.

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked Juliet. That damned jealously was getting the better of him, he could feel that his eyes held a tinge of red to them. An indication of his displeasure. But luckily his mate saved him, "I think we need some more time, thank you." And just like that she dismissed the human; Marcus inwardly grinned.

The boy sent her a fake smile, ignoring Marcus completely. "Ok I'll check back in a few minutes."

The further the human walked away the more his annoyance diminished, until it simmered just under the surface.

Juliet brought their date to the 'getting to know you' stage, "So how long have you wanted to teach?" her curious gaze told of her genuine interest in him.

He stretched the truth just a little, giving her the fabricated story of his 'human' facade. "I have perused other college degrees but found none of them suitable. Eventually I stumbled upon teaching and so far it has suited me very well."

Hazel eyes were slightly glazed over and she had a stunned look on her face. What was wrong? His confused and worried expression prompted a response out of his mate. "I'm sorry, you just surprised me." Her smile was a bit sheepish as her sweet voice continued to speak, "you sound very… schooled in your speech. Where else did you go to school?"

Oh, his speech. Of course his vernacular would sound different then what she was used to, after all he learned English in another century. He found today's speech to be much less formal than what he used; perhaps he should have assimilated to the language like his siblings did.

"I have attended Harvard, Yale and Penn State" his answer was an extremely concise version of his academic past. She wouldn't believe him if he had told her that simply out of boredom he had degrees at most universities in North America and Europe.

"Wow" her soft voice drowned out the noise of the restaurant. His sensitive ears picked up the inflection in her tone, incredulity mixed with disbelief and awe. Marcus could see her mind working, trying to figure out her response to his statement. Did she think him snobbish or spoiled? Was his education something to be admired? Or to be repulsed by?

He was beginning to regret being so candid in his answer until her voice broke through his thoughts. "So, what brought you to the community college?"

He smiled at the easiest question of the night, "They offered what I wanted." _You_.

His cryptic answer would entice questions he would rather not answer so the Demon Prince directed the conversation to her. "Why do you attend the college, Juliet?" his eyes were trained on her youthful face fascinated by watching his mate's movements as she spoke.

A tinge of red dusted her cheeks as she busied herself with opening the menu, "Convenience I guess. The college is affordable and the commute isn't terrible." She paused for a sip of water. "I'm only taking general courses because I'm still not sure what I want to major in yet," she shrugged.

After another sip of water it seemed that his mate was going to end the conversation; her eyes were downcast reading the menu. Unusual for him to be so talkative Marcus prompted her back into conversation simply so he could hear her soothing voice. "How long is your commute?" he asked. Even though the powerful demon was able to find out some information about his mate he needed to know everything about her, and he wanted Juliet to tell him all about herself.

With a slight slap, she set down her menu and idly toyed with her hands as she answered, "I drive about 30 minutes to school. I live down by Peterson road, it's kind of out of the way."

Thanks to the Quivering instinct he knew where she lived but he had not known where that was in relation to the school. A 30-minute commute did not sit well with him; she could very easily get into an automobile accident. That thought churned his stomach.

"What is your commute like?" his brunette questioned. Her genuine interest was a foreign concept to him. As expected with Demon Royalty, there was always some greedy advisor vying for his influence, someone always trying to gain his favor. It was irritating and after many years of the hassle he had become jaded to their wants because there was always an ulterior motive behind their power hungry eyes. But not the fragile human in front of him, she was pure in her interest that was one reason why she was so precious to him.

"I own an apartment nearby, at most my drive is 5 minutes."

"You live downtown?" she guessed with her eyebrows raised.

He nodded, wary of her reaction. The downtown area was filled with expensive, ocean-view properties; he had only chosen to live in the area was so he could have a residence closer to his mate. Transporting from Florida to the Royal Estate after every visit would become tiresome. He welcomed the relocation; he had not resided in such a visually appealing tropical place in so long.

Marcus shifted in his seat, realizing he must have sounded snobbish to her with his talk of expensive apartments and colleges. He did not want to give his mate the wrong impression.

"Are we ready to order yet?" that damn waiter interrupted once again.

Juliet focused her attention to the waiter, giving Marcus her striking profile. Beautifully defined jaw, smooth skin that lead to the perfect column of her graceful neck. The Demon Prince watched her throat flex with her speech, "I'll have the lemon chicken, but with no cheese please."

"Sure thing" the boy wrote down the order but not before sending her another fake smile that Marcus detested.

"And you?" he asked with barely hidden contempt. At least the feeling was mutual.

"I'll have the steak dinner. Rare." The words had a bite to them.

The waiter didn't bother to write down his order before he walked away. Not sparing the human another thought, Marcus continued questioning his mate; eager to learn everything he could about her. "You don't like cheese?"

Juliet shrugged her delicate shoulders, "Not really. I'm lactose intolerant so I can't eat it."

Marcus leaned in closer to her captivated by that piece of information; it would be impossible for him to forget that fact. Lactose intolerance wasn't uncommon among humans but it was interesting that his mate would be subjected to that deficiency. "So what are your food restrictions?"

At that his mate smiled ruefully, "well I can't have any dairy, so no ice cream, no milk, and no cheese." She ticked each food off on her fingers. "But I'm also highly allergic to nuts, so I cant have any food containing them or any food that has been touched by them because of the cross-contamination."

Marcus was frozen in his seat, his mate was so _delicate_. "What would happen if you did consume nuts?" he asked, scared of knowing the answer but that information would help him protect her.

Her tone was nonchalant, as if she had accepted her dangerous limitations a long time ago. "My throat would swell up and I would need a hospital as soon as possible."

His heart thudded at the picture she created; his mate strapped to a gurney unable to breathe. The Demon Prince shuddered at the image.

His mate caught the action but didn't comment on it. He would focus on her allergies later now was not the time to contemplate her fragility.

"Perhaps we should talk about something else." He suggested for his peace of mind.

Juliet sensed his unease and thankfully let the issue pass. "Do you have any siblings?"

Marcus smiled at the normalcy of the question, "yes I have a younger brother and a younger sister."

Laughing she leaned an elbow onto the table bringing her mango scent closer to him, "Ah, so you're the oldest?"

His eyes lightened at the sound of her laughter, he let her mirth influence his own mood. Teasing he asked, "Yes I am. Is that a bad thing?"

"In my family it is. But you're nothing like my older brother, he is obnoxious and a control freak. When we were kids I always hated when my parents left him in charge."

His mate became so animated as she spoke that he was given a glimpse of the more relaxed side of her. She was usually tense when they spoke.

"Is that the same brother who got into the car accident?" he inquired, remembering when his mate had left in such a rush that day.

A nod of her head caused her hair to fall from behind her shoulders and frame that lovely face. Wisps of brown hair obscured his vision of her neck teasing him with the desire to reach across the table and brush those silky strands away.

He watched with fascination as Juliet pulled her hair back, once again exposing her pale neck. That glorious neck housed her steady pulse a sight he couldn't stray away from. Snapping back into reality Marcus listened to his mate's voice, "Robert is the oldest, then me, then my little sister, and last is my baby brother." At the mention of her last sibling her face stretched out into a big grin, perhaps she favored him the most.

"How long have you lived here?" she asked after a moment of silence.

Yet another question that he had to talk his way around. In truth he had found an apartment immediately after he discovered where she lived. "Not terribly long, I recently moved down here. And you?" he gently prodded.

"Born and raised in Florida." Silence soon descended on the table. Marcus was content to simply watch his mate drink her water. In particular he saw how her throat flexed on every swallow.

"Oh my god, Juliet!" a woman's voice shouted nearby.

Water sprayed over the table as his brunette was caught by surprise. Marcus grew concerned as Juliet started coughing. Her hazel eyes were wide as she slowly turned to look at the newcomer. The Demon Prince only looked at the woman when his mate's coughing had subsided.

The woman had a very plastic appearance; too much make-up and the glint in her eyes reminded him of the vultures in the royal court. Juliet's pulse had jumped and recognition flashed in her eyes soon followed by contempt. That put Marcus on guard; if his mate did not like this woman then his judgment would be swayed into thinking the same.

The woman rudely pushed his mate further down the booth so she could sit. The expression on Juliet's face clearly said that the woman was uninvited.

"Hey, girl!" she said with fake enthusiasm. "What are you doing here?" without waiting for Juliet's response she turned her attention towards him, "Hi there Marcus, it's so good to see you again." With an exaggerated flip of her black hair the woman stuck her hand out to him expectantly.

_Again?_ He did not remember every meeting this woman. Lust was clearly written on the newcomer's face and it made him uneasy, especially as she began to toy with the low collar of her blouse. When his eyes did not stray she huffed out a frustrated breath.

Marcus had always detested the shallow flirtation strange women sent his way but now with his mate nearby, it made him sick. It was disgusting the way some women acted towards him, thank Fate Juliet did not fawn over his physical form like other did.

His eyes traveled towards the one person who could effortlessly calm him, she was looking between him and the woman with an annoyed look marring her beauty.

When she saw that he would make no attempt to shake the woman's hand Juliet intervened, she had a knack for deciphering his moods. "Marcus this is Karen. She is in our health class."

Is that why Karen appeared overly friendly, because they had been in the same room together? He only gave a slight nod to the woman but refused to look at her in case that encouraged her appalling behavior.

His mate seemed to have gained strength from his refusal to acknowledge the woman, her shoulders squared and hazel eyes hardened. "Karen we are in the middle of something," Marcus was impressed at the way her normally warm voice hardened to ice.

The woman regarded Juliet for a moment before she turned to Marcus once again, "Oh, I see." The condescending tone did not sit well with the couple. "Well I hope she tells you all about her high school years. Those always make a good story." With a sick grin the woman stood, "Bye Juliet, see you at school." Karen's hand trailed the table as she walked past him; that hand had almost touched him. The Demon Prince was relieved when she was out of their sight.

Juliet's face was extremely pale; hazel eyes were wide with shock and when she ducked her head away from him told of her embarrassment. He did not give a second thought as to what Karen's parting comments might have meant, his only concern was for his mate's well-being.

"Juliet?"

She immediately straightened, her brown head lifted and her hazel eyes met his with a piercing intensity. She read the unspoken question in his eyes, "I'm okay. I just can't believe someone could be so rude." Her smile seemed a little forced but he sensed her words were genuine; his mate was fine that is all that mattered.

"If you don't mind me asking, who was she?"

She raised a dismissive hand, showing Marcus her lack of interest concerning the woman. "An ex-friend. We went to high school together." She did not elaborate further and he did not push.

Just then their food arrived, this time the boy was a welcome distraction. His food was sizzling hot while her chicken had a cloud of steam coming off it. Marcus paid the waiter no mind as he inspected Juliet's dinner for any cheese. He didn't want her to become sick and luckily there was none, her dish looked fine. "Bon appétit" he cheered. Juliet smiled and replied the same back to him.

Idle conversation filled the gaps of silence as they ate their meal. His mate had relaxed considerably forgoing her once tense posture for one that allowed him to read her more easily. He analyzed her body language hoping to gain some perspective as to what she was thinking.

The little gestures she made while speaking told of her enthusiasm and passion. For example, when she told him that her youngest sibling had special needs her voice became strong and defensive. Her hands helped articulate her point as she waved them about. He enjoyed that zeal; it was a favorable trait in his mate.

All too soon their date was at an end, Juliet had finished eating long before he did. She did not eat everything on her plate, claiming she was full. Choosing not to comment on her lack of appetite he suggested dessert.

"I can't have anything off the dessert menu" she smiled ruefully. Marcus felt a bit embarrassed once he decoded her statement; he had spoken before thinking, everything on the dessert menu either had nuts or was a cream-based treat. His mate was truly limited in her food choices, "I am sorry."

She laughed off his mistake, "It's alright, no harm done."

Despite her nonchalant tone Marcus was still upset with himself, there could be no mistakes regarding his precious mate.

Juliet grabbed her purse beside her and started to slide out of the booth, making to leave. He started to panic; she couldn't leave him yet he wasn't ready to part from her. Was the date unsatisfactory? Was that why she was leaving early?

"I'll be back in a moment. I just need to use the restroom" came her explanation. Fortunately she spoke before he had a chance to; no doubt his next words would have embarrassed him, saying something hopelessly desperate like 'Don't leave me'."

"Of course" he responded, uncomfortable with the unpleasant way his thoughts had turned. He stood to help her out of the booth; it was what any gentleman would do.

Soft cheeks turned pink as she eyed his outstretched hand. Why did she blush? Not for the first time Marcus hopelessly wished to know what she was thinking. At least he could be content with the fact that his mate was honest, he would have smelt a lie on her breath but thankfully everything she had said to him was the truth.

Her small hand latched onto his and that blissful shock of awareness passed through his body. Marcus felt her pulse jump at the contact sending a blast of mango rich air straight to his lungs. He took a deep breath, greedy to have more of her essence in him.

His beast shifted lazily in its mental cage; roused from its dormant state by her willing touch. In Juliet's presence the creature was surprisingly tame, Marcus never thought it would be so well behaved.

Taking courage from the beast's temporary domestic behavior, he pulled his mate up off the bench but did not step back. Their closeness allowed for no personal space giving him the opportunity to encircle himself in her addicting scent.

Her hazel eyes were wide as they searched his face, a question lingering in their depths. Marcus knew he was acting foolish by preventing her from leaving but her presence was becoming essential to his peace of mind.

He had to physically wrench his body away, dropping her hand and moving out of her path. The loss of her heat was painful.

Marcus watched her walk towards the back of the restaurant, appreciating her form the entire way. Unfortunately he wasn't the only one, "Damn, look at that ass" he heard that irritatingly familiar voice exclaim.

The Demon Prince sharply turned to see the waiter chatting with another server, both males were staring at Juliet. Without conscious thought his fangs erupted, the urge to attack boiled within him. His body trembled with suppressed rage. When his beast made an attempt to claw its way out Marcus abruptly sat down.

He needed to calm himself before something happened to the waiter but it was hard when he could smell the boy's lust; the bitter smell blocked out all the other scents of the restaurant.

He clenched his hands together and very carefully set them on the table. His beast smelled a challenge and it made his skin itch with the need to fight. Those humans had no right to look at her, Juliet was _his_.

Marcus buried his face with trembling hands as a fresh wave of fury rolled over him. _Stop it, do not lose control here_. He hoped the beast was listening._ What would Juliet think if she saw you like this? _That thought made him freeze, if she saw him barely containing his anger, fangs unsheathed she would be frightened. Rightfully so, but the thought of those hazel eyes filled with fear looking in his direction brought an end to his outrage. Juliet needed someone who could control his anger and Marcus tried hard to be that man.

The males had stopped talking about his mate but the sound of the waiter's footsteps approaching the table set him on edge again. Could he handle being close to the man who he wanted to attack just a few moments ago?

He decided to avoid the potentially ugly situation by forcing a compulsion into the boy's mind. _Bring the check_ he demanded with perhaps too much force, letting venom coat his tone. Instantly the human obeyed, he could hear those footsteps scurry away from him. Marcus allowed himself a small smirk at how easy it was to manipulate him, reveling in his small victory.

The Demon Prince sighed; overreacting like that in public was not only stupid but also dangerous. He could have lost control of his power and accidentally hurt someone. Letting his hands fall from his face, he saw the flower he had given Juliet laying directly across from him on the table. Gently he picked the orchid up, bringing the soft petals to his nose. The floral smell was mixed with Juliet's natural scent; its aroma soothing him.

It didn't escape his notice that just like the flower his mate was also fragile and beautiful. Ever since the Quivering the raven-haired demon noticed that on more than one occasion he forgot about his increased strength and accidentally damaged something. Whenever that happened his thoughts automatically imagined Juliet being the one hurt by his carelessness; those thoughts terrified him because it was a possibility.

The pungent scent of the waiter broke his musings, the boy's natural smell now held a healthy dose of fear as he approached. "H-here you go sir, the check." At least the service was quick.

Without looking at the boy, Marcus grabbed the black leather folder from his outstretched hand. Unconcerned with the amount on the check he slipped a few large bills into the leather pocket and without looking at the total he handed it back to the waiter. "Keep the change," he said in a cold monotone.

"T-thank you" this time the human's stutter had less to do with fear and more with the amount of money he had just been handed. "You have a good night sir," he wisely backed away from the table. "And you too ma'am."

Ma'am?

Marcus spun around and saw Juliet standing just a few feet away, twirling an errant lock of hair. He was struck with how beautiful she looked; a delicate smile graced her features and while his sweater swamped her figure she still managed to look so incredibility alluring.

He stood quickly, nearly knocking over the table in his haste to place his body in the waiter's line of sight; she was for his eyes only.

"Are you ready to leave?" he asked as she stepped closer. As soon as she nodded her consent, Marcus grabbed her hand, enjoying the electric shock of awareness that shot up his arm as he did so, and led her out of the restaurant.

He was much calmer once they were outside, her warm palm made any lingering irritation he had with the waiter disappear.

They silently made their way to the well-lighted parking lot. A soft breeze played with her hair, sending brown strands in every direction, some brushing his shoulder. With a tender smile he turned to face his mate, gently his free hand brushed some of those wayward strands behind her ear.

That hand trailed a path from her ear to her jaw, caressing her heated cheek in its journey. The feel of her smooth skin was remarkable, and her reception to his touch thrilled him. Juliet subtly leaned into his hand, a silent plea for more. His sharp eyesight caught the movement and committed it to memory.

His hand dropped and the moment was broken; satisfied Marcus faced forward. They continued to walk further into the parking lot when Juliet began tugging on his hand. Immediately he let go afraid that his grip might have been too strong. He quickly took in her form noting that she was unharmed, his eyes were wide as they silently questioned her actions.

"My car is this way."

Marcus blinked, this was not the first time tonight her actions confused him. He did not, yet, have the luxury of knowing her thoughts therefore he must be more aware of her movements and gestures to help him interpret the meaning behind her actions.

The Demon Prince silently followed his mate as she led them to her blue car. His knowledge of cars was limited but even he knew that the vehicle had significant age.

The jingle of her keys echoed between them as they both struggled with the uncomfortable good-bye stage of a first date. Would she allow a kiss? Perhaps just a hug. Would she reject him?

"I had a really fun time tonight. Thank you Marcus" her voice whispered in the night.

His name on her lips was a balm to his nerves, his tense posture thawed.

"I am so glad. I enjoyed myself as well." More than enjoyed, he was ecstatic that the date had gone so smoothly. The normally stoic demon trembled slightly with the thought of his next move, he swallowed hard.

Inching closer, he was careful to testing her reaction as he eliminated the gap between them. He was close enough that he could feel the rapid beat of her heart. She suspected his next actions, her slight intake of breath encouraged him to press forward.

Marcus grasped her shoulders and pulled her into an overfriendly hug. His arms slid down her back, one settling at her shoulder blades and the other crept lower to rest at the curve of her spine. Delicious heat seared him as he felt the soft curves of her body pressed against his hard frame.

Her fragile grip on his waist was pure bliss; with all his strength and power there was no conceivable way Marcus could have broken the flimsy cage she held him in. It was impossible to want to leave this heaven.

Eventually Marcus had to end their good-bye, it wouldn't be proper to hold her as he liked, for as long as he liked, on their first date. Reluctantly his arms slid away from her body as he stepped back giving her some space. When Juliet realized what he was doing she jumped into action, surprising them both with her eagerness. She gripped his shoulders before he had a chance to get out of reach and tugged them down. He assumed she wanted him to lean down so he did, without question.

His mate raised herself up a couple inches on her tip-toes, making their heights more level. She quickly placed a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth, her breath fanning across his face.

Immediately he was enflamed; delighted with her bold actions causing a smile to form on his burning lips. He forced himself not to move, in case he did what his instincts were demanding, crush their lips together and get lost in the lust he was feeling. His blood roared in his ears as it pumped throughout his body with a furious beat.

Juliet searched his face with a worried expression on her features, that was what broke his haze of lust. She should never be afraid that her affections would not be received; mustering all his self-control Marcus placed chaste kiss to her blushing cheek.

Instantly the heat was back but the Demon Prince relished in it, letting it burn him with a desire that would not be fulfilled.

He paid his demanding body no mind as he focused on his stunning mate; her hazel eyes were darker and her breathing was more rapid. Maybe she felt the same passion he did, the thought stimulated his brain into creating images best left unviewed for the time being.

"Goodnight Juliet." His voice was husky, giving away his inner passions.

Her smile was bright as if his voice thrilled her, "Goodnight Marcus."

Like any gentlemen should do for a lady, he held the car door open as she carefully stepped inside the vehicle. He shut it gently once his mate was safely buckled in, she then turned on the car and his heart sunk. She was leaving.

Juliet rolled down the driver's window and with that same bright smile she spoke over the hum of the engine. "Thank you again for tonight."

He just nodded, unsure if he could speak past the lump of dread in his throat.

"Maybe if you're not busy we can do this again sometime?"

Green eyes nearly fell out of his head; his shy little mate was asking for another date. Joy burst through him, "Absolutely," he nearly shouted.

Her mirrored excitement had him sending her off with a cheerful wave of good-bye, watching her drive away. But as soon as her car was out of sight that familiar pang in his chest flared back to life.

Clutching a hand to his heart Marcus satisfied himself with thoughts of their perfect evening together. Hopefully that would help him get over the hurt of their separation.

He lightly touched his lips, still buzzing from their brief kiss. Well, maybe it wasn't exactly a kiss but it was an intimate caress that he would never forget.

Despite the fact that he would have to spend the night alone he took comfort in the fact that his mate wanted to see him again. She wanted another date. With an unabashed grin Marcus walked silently back to his car, all the while subtly inhaling the rich scent of mangos.

* * *

Thoughts? Comments? I would love to hear what you guys have to say. I am also open to any suggestions or plot lines you guys would like to see in the story.

Thank you for reading

Alkedema.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Devotion and Desire

You guys are probably getting tired of me apologizing for the late updates but I can't seem to get the new chapters out as soon as I would like. So thank you for waiting, here is the next chapter.

* * *

Marissa threw another rock across the lake's smooth surface. It skipped along the water with preternatural speed and the young vampire watched the gray stone as it sailed out of sight.

She sighed into the calm moonlit night, the weight of tonight's events settled uncomfortably on her chest. As per her master's orders she had found a way to get closer to the Demon Prince's human mate by way of her brother. Marissa had planned on seducing the human, then using him to reach the girl but she didn't expect to be so enthralled by him.

_Robert_. That name had been around for centuries, it was too old a name for such a lively youth. His brown eyes sparked with enthusiasm as she pretended to eat human food, in all honesty the young vampire had planned on drinking from him. So why did he leave with his neck intact?

Marissa picked up another stone and heaved it into the water causing a big splash to ripple the surface. She did not want to anger her master but this human, Robert had created an unfamiliar feeling to stir within her. Whatever that feeling was it distracted her from the bloodlust that usually plagued her, the entire time she was with him she did not experience one ounce of hunger.

Robert had also distracted her from the whole reason she was in his company; and that was to kidnap his sister and bring the girl to the vampire master.

Marissa knew better than to ask why her master wanted the human girl so desperately and she also knew better than to displease him but for some reason Robert made her act on instincts she had thought had long been forgotten. Instead of acting like a vampire would with their prey; Marissa was reacting as any woman would with a compelling man. She did not crave his blood but his company.

The young vampire sighed into the quiet night as she inhaled his faint scent on her blouse; the sandal-wood and lemon aroma spread warmth throughout her perpetually cold body.

As she reached out to grab another rock to throw into the water, a ray of moonlight shone down on her arm. The pale smooth skin of her right arm was marred only by the scar she received from her transformation. Studying the rough flesh of her wrist she remembered when her master gave it to her, of when he sank his teeth into her human flesh and began her transformation into an immortal.

A devilish grin spread across Marissa's pale face as she thought of a solution. There could be a way for her to satisfy the strange need she had for Robert and appease her master all at the same time. She reverently kissed her master's scar and took one more deep breath of Robert's scent before she raced away from the lake to inform her master of her plan.

* * *

There was something about a great date that always put Juliet in a good mood and now that she just had the best date of her life, she felt like she was walking on air. In fact the date put her in such a good mood that when the teen got home and put her orchid in a vase she was able to keep her smile through her mother's questions.

Just like her best friend, Juliet's mom wanted to know everything that happened on her date; 'How did it go?', 'What was he like?' 'Did you kiss him?'

Juliet was mortified when her mom asked that last question but she wasn't afraid to share all the gossip with Erika. Her friend soaked up all the juicy details and the two girls laughed and giggled for nearly an hour over the phone. The brunette was grateful to have someone like Erika to share her hormonal girly stories with; it was a relief for her giddy emotions to have an outlet.

Her best friend blew up when she told her how Karen almost ruined the whole night, thankfully Marcus didn't ask any questions about what her enemy had said. She was naive in high school and did some things without thinking them through first; needless to say her high school years were not fit for first date conversation.

Her mom seemed satisfied with the rated-G details Juliet gave her and apparently her brother was as closed lip as she was about sharing the details of his date. Her mom told her that Robert came home grinning after his date just like she had. It seems that the two of them hit it off as well as her and Marcus and that they were meeting again tonight.

Juliet was glad for her brother, he deserved some happiness even though it could no way measure up to how she felt about her date.

Marcus made her unreasonably happy, his presence brought butterflies to her stomach but he never made her feel uncomfortable. In fact he seemed to go out of his way to make her feel relaxed, always seeing if she was comfortable.

Juliet sighed. Thinking about her hero made the brunette miss him; she was acting like a love-sick teenager but she couldn't help it, he was just too alluring.

_And sweet_, she thought as her fingers fiddled with the material of his gray sweater. Just like the jocks in high school who gave their sports jackets to their girlfriends, Marcus had wanted her to wear something of his. Even though the material swamped her frame, his sweater quickly became her favorite article of clothing. She vowed to take special care of it, hoping she wouldn't spill anything on it.

Since she still did not have to go to work and there was no school today, Juliet wanted her Friday afternoon to be productive, maybe clean her room or wash her car. Erika had to work during the day but at night the two friends were going to have a 'girl's night' filled with chick flicks and nail polish.

So Juliet spent the rest of her day cleaning and reorganizing; it felt nice to accomplish something productive without being forced to do it. The teen had to admit that she kept her phone within reach the entire afternoon, just in case someone called her. She did not fool herself into thinking that Marcus felt as strongly for her as she did for him and she was certain that he was not checking his phone to see if she called.

A wistful sigh left her lips at the thought of her dark mysterious hero perhaps she spent an unhealthy amount of time thinking about him but she couldn't bring herself to care. It just seemed natural that his blazing green eyes filled her thoughts. She continued her day trying hard not to think about Marcus with little success.

About two hours before sunset Juliet had maxed out her productivity for the day and decided to just relax on the couch before her girl's night out. She stretched out on the long sofa with the remote in hand and found a marathon of House on T.V. She had briefly thought about going to the gym for a little bit but the medical drama held more appeal at the moment.

After a few episodes the teen was jolted out of her vegetative state by the quiet vibrations of her phone. Her heart started to race, _maybe it's him_ came the hopeful thought before she saw the caller ID; work was calling her.

Juliet hesitantly answered the phone, "Hello?"

* * *

Thirty minutes and several tears later Juliet pulled out of her drive way. She was headed to the park to clear her head with a good long run.

Work had called to 'regretfully inform' her that she no longer had a job. Apparently the store had to make some budget cuts and she was one of them. Angry tears had filled her eyes as she told her mom what happened. Mrs. Chase was just as upset as her daughter and they both thought that the timing was a bit suspicious.

She just happened to be let go the same week the robbery happened, did they think she was a liability? Did Rick have anything to do with this? _For some reason he never liked me._

Juliet took a sharp right turn as she drove into the park, her headlights lit up the sign 'Welcome to Haverhill Park'. This was her favorite park because it was a little oasis in the middle of all the palm trees and power lines that covered South Florida. Haverhill Park had tall Oak and Pine trees that covered over an acre of land in cooling shade; it was the perfect spot for outdoor sports. The main reason Juliet liked this park was its scenic running track that circled the entire area and provided a great opportunity for her to relieve some stress.

She parked her car near the park's baseball shed and shut off the engine. The brunette tucked her keys into a pouch specifically designed for runners; it attached to her ankle and allowed her to carry important items while running.

She strapped a black band around her upper arm to hold her iPhone, which she was continually glad she had splurged on, the phone did everything and now it doubled as a music player. After she selected her very energetic, exercise playlist, Juliet took off. She ran the short distance between her car and the designated running track filled with soft sand and woodchips.

The teen was too angry to stretch and immediately began running the track at a fast pace.

She tried to get lost in the fast paced music, hoping to forget about the complete injustice of the situation, why was she the one they picked to fire? She was never reported for misconduct, always arrived on time and she even put on a fake smile for the customers, all in all she was the perfect employee.

Another wave of anger had her running faster, her lungs burned with each breath she took and her legs were screaming in protest but she still kept running. Every time her feet pounded the earth she felt just a bit better about everything.

Eventually fatigue caused the brunette to slow down to a brisk walk; that little spurt of energy had her feeling drained and left her panting for breath. She looked around the park taking in the beauty of the oak trees that cast shadows over the path, any tree that wasn't a palm tree was new and exciting for a Floridian because they were so rare in the tropical climate.

Juliet noticed that there were only a handful of people at the park as she walked around the track. She supposed that since it was almost Friday night people were getting a head start on their weekend.

Once her breathing adopted a more normal rhythm, she decided to stop at one of the exercise stations that were placed around the track and stretch. _Better late than never I suppose._

The teen began to extend her legs to loosen them up; she followed her normal stretch routine. She was able to focus her mind on the run and leave less pleasant thoughts behind. She resumed her run with more determination.

At the two-mile mark a sound broke the steady jog Juliet had going; it was loud enough to hear through her headphones.

Slowing down to a walk, the brunette stopped her music and focused on her surroundings. She was startled to see the sun setting low in the sky, there were only a few rays of orange light shining through the trees. She also discovered that there was no one else in the park; her entire focus had been on the run that she didn't even notice how late it had gotten.

Not wanting to be alone in the park, the brunette unplugged her headphones and tucked them into her ankle pouch.

When she wasn't running, Juliet was an observant person, claiming to have an extra dose of female intuition. She could sense a wrongness in the air around her and right now it made her skin prickle.

The increase tempo of her heart had nothing to do with physical exercise and more with the fact that she felt a pair of eyes watching her, their gaze was intense enough to be felt.

A warning tingle traveled up her spine, the alarm suggested that the someone who was watching her was not someone she wanted to meet.

The sense of growing unease fuelled her jerky movements as Juliet bolted to her car, which was only a few yards away near the baseball shed.

Just as her foot left the ground something grabbed a hold of it causing her to fall. Instinctively her hands went out to cushion the impact, bad idea. Her left hand found a sharp rock to land on, instantly exploding in pain. As soon as the teen hit the ground she twisted around, looking for what might have caused her fall. Seeing nothing but trees covered in growing darkness Juliet looked at her hand. It was a bloody mess with the red stuff flowing from a clean cut in the center of her hand. There was dirt and some wood-chips from the trail in the wound, definitely infected. A sharp hiss from her right scared the teen from her inspection.

Hazel eyes quickly scanned the area around her but it was hard to see in the fading light. Acting braver than she felt, Juliet stood up on shaky legs and quickly retreated from the trail, edging closer to her car. Whatever the hell that was she didn't want to find out. With her blue car in sight the brunette let out a relieved breath, her car meant safety from the bizarre feeling of being watched. Her feet met pavement leaving the trail behind.

She reached down to pull out her keys but stopped halfway through the movement as she saw someone standing next to her car. Her back went ramrod straight as her heart went into overdrive, beating loudly in her chest. The pale figure moved closer and Juliet could see he wore a sick grin on his face; the crunch his shoes made on the gravel sent chills up her spine. "Why hello there" his voice purred in her direction, light-hearted but definitely menacing.

Determined not to acknowledge him she walked forward on shaky legs keeping her head low. But the creep didn't like that, in her limited view of the ground she saw his shoes suddenly appear in front of her. Gasping the teen jerked her head and looked into eerie red eyes. His face was contorted in anger and there was a strange gleam in his eyes.

The stranger then looked at her injured hand and Juliet broke out into a cold sweat as she could feel his sharp gaze. The sun had set by now and the only illumination came from the park's streetlights, setting the scene for every bad horror film. What added to the surreal was the creep's apparent fangs.

She watched as the guy's eyeteeth grow impossibly sharp when he spotted her injured hand and with his angry hiss things seemed to fall into place. This guy was pale, had fangs and he was looking at her bloody hand with a sick amount of fascination.

Her mind seemed frozen as it supplied the only explanation for what was happening, this supernatural stalker was a vampire. She was certain that this was the wrongness she had felt before.

For some reason her mind didn't reject this vampire as real. It was as if it had already subconsciously accepted the existence of supernatural creatures and it was just waiting for her waking self to catch up.

She was given no time for disbelief ; when his cold hand gripped her wrist she snapped back into reality and her adrenaline started pumping. Basic survival instinct sent the 'fight or flight' command into her brain.

Flight she decided; fight could be plan B.

Juliet recalled her karate lessons from when she was a kid and dropped like a rock. The shift in movement loosened his hold on her wrist and with precise timing she kicked away from the stranger wrenching herself free from his frightening hold.

Frantically she ran towards her car, but somehow he was already there. "I don't think so little girl," he said in a taunting tone amused with her escape. Trying to keep a safe amount of distance from him Juliet edged toward the baseball shed maybe she could find a weapon in there. The guy was quick to close the gap between them moving so fast her eyes only registered him as a pale blur. He tutted at her like a parent would to a disobedient child; "Now that wasn't smart." He stood close enough that she could feel his cold breath wash over her face, it was a sickening feeling.

Her attacker greedily roved his strange red eyes over her body stopping at her neck and hand; an action that made her shiver. Slowly she backed away from him but it wasn't any use because he just countered her steps eventually pinning her to the wall of the shed, effectively crowding her.

The … vampire licked his exposed fangs before inhaling deeply, groaning out loud. "You smell good enough to eat" he chuckled, a sound that sickened her.

_Move!_ her mind shouted, she was acting like prey right now and she needed to go on the offensive. As she tried to find a plan of action a foreign warmth flooded her mind with calm and she grasped onto it for dear life. Taking strength from what she was sure was her mind's defense against trauma, Juliet realized that her left foot was touching something that felt remarkably similar to a baseball bat.

Hopefully it was wooden one; if the guy looked like a vampire then she could assume that he would have the weakness of one, a wooden stake to the heart. Counting to three in her head she planned to duck and roll away from the creep, grab the bat and swing hard. He was saying something but she didn't concentrate on him; her focus was on her impromptu defense attack.

One.

Two.

Deep breath.

Three!

Apparently her sudden movement caught him by surprise because he didn't move as she rolled to the ground. Luckily her assumption was correct and the object at her feet was a baseball bat. It was an old wooden one with the top of it separating into three wooden prongs but it would still work as a weapon. With a surge of adrenaline she regained her balance and poised the bat in front of her, prepared to fight. The sicko laughed at her, "A feisty one, I like it."

Tensing her muscles she took her old softball stance, all the while mindful of her injured hand. She was a great hitter on the field hopefully that would translate here. Just as she brought the bat up to swing a dark blur swept across her line of sight, moving towards the pale man.

The blur was accompanied by a loud roar that vibrated through her still form and echoed into the night. It overtook her attacker and sent him flying a few feet back, away from her.

Belatedly she realized the blur was actually a person, a very large, very angry person. The newcomer placed himself between the psycho and her; giving her a view of his back which looked familiar. His sudden and welcome arrival froze her in place but his voice shocked her like nothing else could.

"Get away from her!" the newcomer shouted. It was her hero; her raven-haired hero came to her rescue again.

"Marcus" she whispered almost sure he wasn't real. Then again this whole situation was like a Sci-Fi movie. Even though he didn't move an inch when he spoke she knew his warning was directed at her, "don't move" he commanded eyes never leaving the man in front of him.

Instantly she obeyed, as if there was much of a choice, listen to her hero or get eaten by the weirdo who was hissing like a snake. The pale man was cautious of Marcus keeping one eye on her hero and one eye on her bloody hand.

Juliet desperately looked around them for an escape, her eyes scanned the park but instead of seeing something positive she saw her worst nightmare multiplied.

"Marcus!" she cried pointing to the group of pale figures emerging from the trees, stalking closer to where they were standing. Marcus swore loudly, "damn it!" Jerking into action he backed away from the original creep and with fluid movements he pressed his body against hers pinning her to the side of the shed. Even if she wasn't glued to the spot by fright the protective way he blocked her body with his own allowed for no movement on her part.

His unique musk calmed her rapid heartbeat giving Juliet an anchor to keep from freaking out. The baseball bat was gripped tightly in her right hand while her left one hung limply at her side slowly going numb. With all the adrenaline pumping in her system she didn't feel the pain of the gash.

Her hero was more aware of the cut than she was, in one swift movement he tore off a sleeve of his shirt and handed it to her, "bandage the wound quickly," he ordered.

_Right_, she thought if these people really were vampires then her blood would only make the situation worse, _I guess that's vampire safety 101, don't bleed_.

She let the baseball bat rest against her thigh as she grabbed the sleeve with her good hand.

As fast as her shaky hands would allow the cut was hidden under the material that had a rapidly growing red stain in its center. Somehow Marcus knew that she covered the cut because as soon as her hand was free he grasped it tightly with his larger one. "Don't let go of me," he warned.

She automatically gripped his hand with all her strength her trust in him was blind but strong; there was no doubt in her mind that he would protect her. It was difficult to hear him over all the hissing done by the pale group; they had formed a semi-circle around the two of them preventing escape.

Marcus was breathing evenly as he stretched his free hand in front of them creating an arch above his head, astonishingly a brilliant green-white light followed the same path as his hand. From her point of view it looked like he was holding the light.

Too stunned to even think, the brunette watched as Marcus threw the light at the group in front of them. His attack caused the quick ones to scatter and the slower ones to get caught in it's path. She could hardly believe her eyes as she watched those vampires turn to dust.

A sudden jerk on her arm had the teen falling off balance; one of the surviving pale figures had grabbed Marcus and tore him away from her. Juliet used her now free hand to grip the bat to prevent herself from falling. She saw that Marcus was soon outnumbered as the group of attackers savagely pounced on him. The brunette watched horrified as they clawed at him ripping material and flesh. She was so engaged in the fight that she didn't notice that someone had crept up behind her until they grabbed her injured hand roughly causing a scream to tear from her throat.

The pale figure lifted her hand up to his face and inhaled deeply, grinning when the increased strength of his grip made her wince in protest. It was the sicko from earlier, the one who started this whole mess. Despite being severely outmatched Juliet was angry enough with this guy to form a plan of attack. She adjusted her grip on the bat, arranging it into a more threatening position.

The pale man tore off her makeshift bandage, exposing the cut to the night air. He was too fascinated by the blood to notice that his captive was about to attack. She wanted to strike first before he could even think about biting her, the instinct to survive gave her courage.

Without much finesse she lifted the bat and aimed directly for his chest, for his heart. Her clumsy attack managed to impale him, one of the prongs on the top of the bat was hidden in the gaping hole she made in his chest. Howling in pain he ripped himself away from her tossing her on the ground. With a painful grimace the man reached up to grab the bat, she assumed that he was going to yank it out. Before he even had a chance to remove it Marcus was there gripping the pale hand that held the bat and pushed.

A bloodcurdling scream (no pun intended) tore through the night as the bat went completely through the vampire's chest and out the other side. Dimly she registered the fact that his wound did not bleed before he crumpled into dust, no longer a threat.

She stared at the pile of black ash a few feet away from her as she tried to gain some sense of reality, did that really happen or am I making it all up? Hesitantly the teen stood on shaky legs; wide-eyed she looked around the park noticing that they were finally alone.

"Juliet?" his soft voice broke through her musings. Juliet's drifted eyes quickly swung back to Marcus, her eyebrows crinkling in concern. His black hair was is disarray and the shirt he wore was torn to pieces shreds of it still clinging to his form.

Her ragged breathing echoed between them as her eyes roved the exposed portions of his chest where he had many scratches all over his skin from the surprise attack. The skin just above his heart had three particularly red gashes marring the area but right before her eyes the marks slowly faded into nothing. As if they never existed, his skin was smooth once again having healed in a matter of seconds. Almost on it's on accord her hand reached up and made contact with his chest feeling for herself that he was unharmed. She ignored the trembling of her shock-weakened limb and felt the warm skin beneath her fingers rise and fall with his every breath.

A shaky sigh left his parted lips as she processed the impossible.

Juliet could feel his pounding heart, the tempo calming her nerves. "Are you ok?" she whispered eyes still transfixed on his muscled chest. A large hand covered hers, sending soothing warmth into the appendage. Hazel eyes looked up to meet wide green, he nodded silently.

"Are you alright?" he questioned with severity; his grip on her hand tightened and his eyes held a depth of pain to them.

He studied her expression as she searched for a response. No she wasn't alright, the whole world decided to turn upside down and in the eye of this storm was Marcus. He was her anchor, calming her and keeping her afloat. But at the same time he seemed to be in the middle of this mystery, "how did he get here? Why was he here in the first place? And the last question scared her deeply, "what was he?" Definitely not human.

She gave him an honest answer, "I'm really confused... And scared."

Her latter confession seemed to punch him in the gut, his face crumpled from pained concern to anguished hurt. He dropped her hand and took a measured step back, giving her space like he didn't want to crowd her.

"I won't hurt you" he pleaded, desperation etched clearly on his features that marred his beauty. "You have nothing to fear from me" he finished his plea in a whispered tone as if a higher volume would startle her.

But she already knew all that and Juliet told him so. At his confused expression she elaborated, "I know I can trust you." she stated calmly. Watching his face smooth out inspired more conviction into her tone, "whatever you are I know that you won't hurt me." To prove her point she eliminated the distance between them and hugged his strong form fiercely, all the while mindful of her left hand.

His gasp of surprise mixed with his shaky sigh of relief. A murmured 'thank you' was spoken into her ear. Heavy arms locked firmly around her upper back not allowing an inch of air between them. His familiar scent washed over her senses, taking a deep breath she focused on his heartbeat letting it's loud steady thump lull her into calm.

Her rationale must have been left in the real world because logically she should distance herself from him. Marcus just proved to be … well she didn't know what he was but he wasn't the man she had thought he was.

Yet all the logic in the world couldn't tear her away from him, perhaps it was the trauma talking but she really did trust him. The 'why' was unknown but the connection she had always felt with him hadn't changed despite recent events.

After a few minutes during which they both tried to regulate their breathing Marcus broke the fragile silence. "I need to bring you to a safe place" he stated while rubbing soothing circles on her back.

This confused her, "somewhere safe? Why? I thought this was over" her voice gradually decreased in volume until it was nothing but a weak whisper. When he had begun speaking she tilted her head back to meet his eyes and now she searched those green pools for an explanation.

He was quick to reassure her, "it is over I promise, I took care of them all" he growled out putting a heavy amount of anger on 'them'.

To be honest that did nothing to calm her fears, she was about to ask her guardian to elaborate when he surprisingly dropped his head to rest on her shoulder. His large frame trembled slightly as he tilted his dark head to face her neck. Goosebumps rose on her skin as he inhaled deeply. Speaking into the column of her neck he confessed, "I'm worried there might be more in the area. I need to get you to a place I know is safe."

His voice inspired calm but his words scared her, "more?" she whispered brokenly. Juliet didn't know much about the situation but she did know that was something she did not want.

The teen hugged Marcus tightly an unspoken sign of agreement that she would trust him to lead her to safety. A whispered 'thank you' was her answer. Heavy arms slid from her back down to her waist as he straightened to his impressive height, "Juliet, I need you to listen to me very carefully."

Those strong hands brushed across her arms, the warmth instantly grabbed her attention. He grasped her much smaller hands that were locked behind his broad back and cradled them in front of his body Keeping eye contact with her he gently held her injured appendage and brought it to his mouth for a soft chaste kiss.

Instantly the stinging she felt in the center of her palm disappeared. With wide eyes Juliet looked at the hand that was so reverently held in his large one. The wound was still open but it no longer hurt, her hero took away the pain. Amazing.

Marcus raised her arms so they locked around his neck, his nostrils flared when her injured hand passed his face. Before she could analyze that action he released her hands and one steely arm locked firmly around her waist. His free hand gently cradled the back of her head, threading his fingers into brunette hair.

His hold screamed of possession and despite the terrible situation they were in her body still responded to his closeness; her shock weakened limbs melted under his iron strength.

"This will feel uncomfortable for you but please do not let go of me." His cryptic warning did not inspire confidence in her but Juliet figured it was too late to back out now so with a nod of her head the teen threw caution to the wind and trusted her hero with whatever came next. His legs shifted their stance, making their lower bodies came into contact. The warmth she felt was immediate and comforting, like he was wrapping her in a cocoon. "And you should close your eyes" he warned.

Obeying plunged her world into darkness, relying on her other senses she could still feel Marcus' strong hold around her frame, still smell his musk. His chest expanded underneath her head and Juliet could feel his expel of breath ruffle her hair; she guessed he might be preparing himself for what he was about to do next.

Suddenly Juliet felt very strange, a tugging sensation built in her gut as nausea rose in her throat. Confused and scared, as the tugging became more insistent Juliet's hold on her hero tightened and she squeezed her eyes more tightly shut. Her mind supplied the answer to her unspoken question, Marcus was doing this and that was ok because she trusted him, right? That trust was put to the test when an unseen pressure squeezed her from all around pushing and pulling at her. It got so unbelievably suffocating that she couldn't force her mouth to scream; she was only able cling onto Marcus for dear life.

It felt like she was in very deep water with the intense pressure surrounding her and it was difficult to breath. Just as she thought it was too much, they 'surfaced' with a loud pop.

The tugging stopped and Juliet could feel the frightening pressure lift. Marcus gentled his hold on her, no longer was it restraining but comforting. With his hold her hero was guiding her away from the panic she experienced just a moment ago.

"You can open your eyes now, Juliet," his voice whispered softly.

Hesitantly she cracked her eyes open a bit, wary of what she might see. A normal looking living room greeted her; surprised dimmed her fear and she lifted her head off of Marcus' chest to get a better look.

There was no evidence of the park they just left, leaving her to come to terms with the fact that the man she was clinging to had just transported them out of danger. Like editing scenes for a movie, one moment they were standing in Haverhill Park and the next they were in some living room; she had trouble wrapping her head around it.

Hazel eyes roamed the interior of the large room they were now standing in the center of; two large couches were thoughtfully placed in front of a well-used fireplace. The ordinary room was a stark contrast to their unconventional mode of transportation; the shift back into reality shocked her. "I don't believe it," she whispered in breathless shock.

Strong fingers bunched her hair at the soft-spoken comment and somehow the teen knew that Marcus was anxious of her reaction, he didn't want to scare her. With a genuine smile she looked up at him meeting his clear green eyes, "You're better than Houdini."

A fire lit behind his eyes, they blazed with hope and happiness. The tension leaked out of his form relaxing his muscles. Juliet was taken aback at his reaction, unsure as to why her statement brought him such obvious joy. She was also startled by her own reaction to his happiness, seeing him so relieved and delighted with her made her heart beat loudly and every time she looked into his eyes so sincere with tenderness caused her entire being to flood with warmth.

He wore the biggest smile she had ever seen on his face, an inner glow lit up his features. "You are remarkable," he praised. "I didn't know if you could accept this." Juliet read between the lines, _I didn't know if you could accept me_, was what he really said.

She shrugged, not really sure how to respond; she was having a hard time grasping the impossible but there was one thing she was certain of, Marcus wasn't human but he was her hero.

A loud bang to her right startled her, before she could even turn her head in the direction of the sound Marcus had shifted their positions. He once again took a defensive pose and place himself in front of her. One large arm kept her plastered to his back, effectively pinning her left arm to her side.

She couldn't see his right arm because it was posed in front of his body but the ambient green glow shinning from it gave her an idea as to what was happening.

As soon as her brain understood that Marcus was acting on another threat it sent a powerful message to her heart; beat in turbo-drive. Her hero emitted a loud growl that reverberated from him and into her; drowning out the loud thumping of her heart.

"Marcus!" a woman shouted followed by another growl but this one sounded too far away to be her hero's. Fear prickled under her skin, whoever was across the room was undoubtedly angry.

"Stand down Marcus " a deep male voice commanded. She could feel the muscles of her hero's back stiffen against her but the green glow did not diminish.

Juliet could tell the situation was getting out of control and in an attempt to diffuse it she raised her free hand and gripped his right bicep, squeezing gently. Her fingers were too small to wrap around the bulging muscle. At her touch his stance relaxed a fraction of an inch but he did not 'stand down'. That green light still illuminated in front of him as he took several deep breaths.

Marcus was a sight in all his angered glory; even from the back he looked every bit the protective hero had had proved to be. Shirt torn to pieces, black hair in disarray, he must have looked frightening to the people he faced but she couldn't bring herself to be frightened of him. Again the 'why' to her thoughts was unknown but she could ponder that later.

Juliet tugged on his arm and gradually it lowered; making progress she began to move her hand down that stubborn limb idly noting that there was no hair dusting his skin. She continued to trail her fingers down his arm, that glow was no longer present. Past his forearm she reached his wrist then firmly grasped his hand, happy that it looked non-threatening.

Marcus heaved a huge breath but didn't turn around; the restraining arm around her waist fell with his surrender. Unfortunately it brushed against her injured hand bringing the stinging sensation back in full force. Inhaling between her teeth Juliet's body jerked in reaction, shying away from more pain.

Suddenly he was there cradling the injury turning around so fast she didn't catch his movement. Her legs trembled with surprise-ridden weakness, the events of tonight were finally catching up to her.

Luckily he noticed her struggle with gravity. In the way only he could move Marcus swept her up bridal style, impossibly fast, undeniably graceful. "Call a healer," he ordered to the people behind him. Juliet looked over his large shoulder just in time to see an auburn head disappear through a large doorway. She also saw a couple standing in that same wooden doorway. The man's eyebrows were furrowed and his lips were set in a thin line; opposite of that was the woman he was holding tightly. She had worry lines etched into her forehead. Both had their eyes trained on her.

Marcus gently placed her on one of the sofas she had seen before and the teen refocused her attention on him.

His face seemed distraught and tired, hid shoulders were hunched slightly. "Are you ok?" she questioned him for the second time that night. A small rueful smile appeared on his face as he crouched down in front of her legs. He kept his green eyes focused on her hand. "You are the one injured but you ask if I am ok" he chuckled once without humor.

Taking a deep breath he answered "I am feeling a little tired." he paused debating on whether to continue or not. Thankfully he did, "it required a great deal of...energy to accomplish what I did tonight. The stress is waning on me."

_Me too_, she thought. Her nerves were fried and sadly the night wasn't even over yet.

It was odd to see her hero exhibit the slightest bit of fatigue; he always seemed so unmovable. Before she could question him further the man from the doorway spoke in a tense tone, "just how did you accomplish it, son?"

Son? The man across the room looked only a couple years older than Marcus, 30 at the most. Her eyes settled on the woman beside him, Marcus' mother she assumed and compared the two of them. No evidence of gray in their hair, no wrinkles to mar smooth skin.

Turning back to the mysterious man in front of her she pinned him with questioning eyes. Marcus seemed to shrink away from her gaze but still addressed one of her unspoken questions, "Juliet, meet my parents Tarik and Analisse." he made a sweeping gesture with his hand indicating the couple walking closer to the couch. "Mother, Father this is Juliet"

There was no way they could be his parents; then again stranger things have happened. In the twilight zone any thing could be possible and eternal youth was a common myth among the supernatural stories. In a twisted sort of way it made sense.

She waved an awkward hand at the introduction; despite this being the craziest night of her life, the teen wanted to make a good impression on his parents. His father, Tarik stood with one hand clenched at his side, the other was gripped firmly around his wife's waist. Analisse had an ear splitting grin across her kind face, "it's so nice to finally meet you, Juliet" the woman's warm welcome made the brunette smile a little easing away some of her lingering anxieties.

"Later" Marcus whispered in response to his father's question his tone final.

The other man's protest was cut short by someone out of sight clearing their throat. Every head in the room turned to watch two women walk into the room. One looked a little younger than Juliet with auburn hair and the other was an intimidating 6 feet with striking blonde hair. The latter woman's hawk-like gaze shot straight to Juliet giving her the creeps.

At least the younger woman was more subtle in her staring. The girl strode straight to where Marcus' parents stood while the blonde curtsied with her head kept low. Apparently Juliet was the only person in the room who found this greeting strange because no one else even batted an eyelash.

Marcus rose from his crouched position on the floor to address the lady, simply beckoning her to come closer with his hand. Juliet grasped her hero's hand as the lady approached and without being asked he sat next to her on the couch. His body was so close that their thighs touched, giving her a small taste of the heat he carried.

Marcus gently picked up her injured hand and held it out for the blonde's inspection. "Heal her" His voice was a soft compulsion, it ensured obedience and left no room for arguments. The woman nodded and made to grab her left hand when Juliet pulled it out of reach.

Marcus' large hand followed the backward motion; he looked at her with concerned questioning eyes. She focused solely on him, exposing her fears, "I don't think I can take much more."

Her mind was on overload from all the weirdness of tonight. The way Marcus had phrased his statement and the fact that the blonde carried no medical supplies tipped her off to the supernatural. This tall woman was a 'healer' and while the name sounded innocent enough her trust was limited to only Marcus.

"I'm sorry Juliet" his voice was as remorseful as his expression; he was slightly wincing as if her fear hurt him. "I know this has been a trying night for you but the wound is infected and it must be cleaned." He made a logical argument but the teen was still frightened.

"What about some peroxide?" she ventured. The thought of anyone but Marcus using that magic...stuff on her was more frightening then what had happened in the park. The worry creases etched deeper as he shook his dark head 'no'.

"Can you do it then?" her voice rose an octave as his refusal became obvious.

"The healer is more skilled in treating wounds than I am. You can trust her" he reasoned in a slightly strained tone.

She was shaking her head before he even finished speaking. Leaning into his strong form Juliet rested her head against his shoulder, "I only trust you," she murmured. But despite her words the teen outstretched her left hand to the blonde. Marcus enveloped her in a hug rubbing his cheek against hers; she closed her eyes in surrender.

Clinically cold hands grabbed her wrist, taking strength from her hero Juliet closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing regularly. That got shot out the window when Marcus whispered in her ear, "disinfecting the wound will cause you slight pain. It will pass soon but be prepared."

Now with her blood pressure through the roof Juliet could only imagine what the other woman was going to do and none of her ideas ended well.

An odd sensation brought those ideas into reality; like water this air light sensation slid over her palm circling the wound. When the ... whatever she was using dipped into the cut Juliet understood what an understatement of 'slight pain' really was.

It burned her from the inside out, she could feel it moving underneath her skin; her sharp intake of breath echoed throughout the room. Stubbornly she grit her teeth, determined not to make a sound but her eyes started to water with the pain.

Her grip on Marcus was almost as strong as his was on her; with every wince or involuntary jerk of her arm he let out a painful hiss. He was reacting to her pain, she realized; the thought warmed her heart.

A particularly painful probe broke the teen's silence "ow!" Hazel eyes flew open but her vision was blurry with tears. Marcus' occasional hiss turned into a deep roar that emanated from his chest, the vibrations strummed through her. The fingers of her injured hand twitched in irritation, desperate to get away.

"Be gentle!" the command sounded in her ear, directed to the lady Juliet was rapidly loosing patience with.

Suddenly the burning stopped, the slithering sensation was gone. "It is done," she announced in a bored tone, as if she put people through that sort of torture daily.

Immediately she took back her hand, examining it with childlike curiosity. Just like the scratches on her hero's chest, her cut was gone replaced by smooth skin. A slow fist tested the reality of what she saw; the absence of pain confirmed her healthy recovery.

The stunned teen caught green eyes staring intently at her, unsure of what to say to him Juliet turned and thanked the lady. The healer did not respond, not even a nod of acknowledgment was sent her way. Instead the tall woman curtsied for Marcus and promptly left the room. Fine then, it was easy enough to forget the woman with her mysterious man sitting very close to her on the couch.

His eyes were intensely focused on her face, perhaps waiting for a meltdown or for Juliet to begin her line of questioning. At the moment the most pressing question of, 'What the hell happened tonight?' was caught in her throat. If he answered that then Juliet would have to come to terms with all the freakiness and that was something she thought was best put off.

His face was so expressive; she could tell that he was anxious by the way his jaw was tightly set. His eyes told her everything she needed to know; the way the green pools would occasionally widen expressed his fear. When those eyes would narrow and harden to diamond like intensity they told her of his courage and fierce protectiveness.

Were her eyes that expressive? Could he see the admiration she held for him, the awe he inspired in her? Or was the fear from her most recent incident shinning back at him?

"Juliet dear?" the woman from the doorway spoke, shattering her inspection of his haunting green eyes.

Turning to the source of the voice she found that the couple from before along with the young girl had taken a seat on the couch across from her. Well not the man, Marcus' intimidating father stood at the back of the couch behind his wife, his hawk like eyes still trained on her form. Blinking away from him, Juliet responded by raising her eyebrows at the gentle woman unable to trust her voice just yet.

"Perhaps you would like to wash up and get something to eat before you ask any questions" she kindly suggested.

The brunette looked down at herself, still in her stinky, unflattering gym clothes she had dirt and woodchips all over her body. She must have looked rough; dirt-caked knees, messy greasy hair, fear stricken face. Yep she could definitely use a shower and a good dose of zen. She smiled sheepishly at the thoughtful woman, "That sounds like a good idea."

The smile she received was nothing short of motherly; it was warm and full of concern. The girl with the auburn hair beside her spoke up, "You can borrow some of my clothes" Juliet was grateful for her offer since she was in desperate need of clean clothes. "Thank you, I'd appreciate that."

The girl stood and walked towards the far corner of the room, pointing to a staircase the brunette didn't notice was there. "My room is over here," she said with an expectant look on her face. Oh, right; she wanted Juliet to follow her. The teen looked at her hero for assurance, she was secure in the fact that these people wouldn't harm her but irrational fear made her cling to Marcus, her safety net.

The corners of his mouth lifted, "I will be waiting down here for you." A warm feeling bloomed in her chest when he accurately pinpointed her fears, he knew their separation would bring her some sort of anxiety. Absolutely charmed, Juliet bravely decided to go with her feelings; she closed the minimal space between them and lightly kissed him on the cheek.

His scent teased her as she shyly brushed her lips against the soft skin of his face; sensing his stiffness she quickly drew away hoping to save herself from an awkward moment. Before she could pull away Marcus grasped her shoulders and crashed his body into hers. A gasp left her startled lips at his intensity; hungry lips pressed firmly to her own set. Desperation leaked out of his body and into the kiss, giving her a small taste of what he felt. Before she had a chance to respond Marcus broke the impromptu kiss. He leaned forward, pressing his cool forehead against hers, not having the strength to separate completely.

Her lips tingled and a shy blush stained her cheeks; the smell of him sent her heart racing. "Juliet" he breathed into the air between them, saturating it with his wonderful musk. Marcus tried and failed to finish what he was saying, opening and closing his mouth in attempt. Unable to say what he was thinking her hero pressed his forehead slightly harder against hers, trying to convey his message from his gaze alone.

Green eyes told her that tonight had scared him too, he was frightened that he might have arrived too late and if she was injured then he would never forgive himself. It was as if the unspoken message was whispered directly into her mind because Juliet understood every word he couldn't say.

Odd as that was, the teen accepted it and even smiled at their connection; their bond was so strong it felt like they had known each other for years.

Still skeptical of her formerly injured appendage, she took her right hand and placed on his nearest body part, which happened to be his muscular thigh. The touch wasn't meant to be sexual; it was for comfort, assuring him with a gentle squeeze that everything was fine now. She was safe thanks to him, he would always be her protector.

Message received; his tentative quirk of those soft lips was appreciative.

"I will make your food while you wash up," he proudly stated leaning back and taking his scent with him.

Unconsciously Juliet braced herself by leaning on his thigh when she stood up, "thank you". She started walking towards the girl who now wore a secretive smile. About halfway across the room an important question popped into her head, she stopped mid stride and turned to ask; "Marcus? Do you remember what I'm-"

"Yes" he said with certainty, watching her with knowing eyes.

It was nice to be able to speak in half sentences and have someone understand them. He knew instantly that she was referring to her allergies; it turns out he remembered every word of what she had said.

Grinning at his thoughtfulness, Juliet followed the auburn girl up the stairs; happy that things were falling into a somewhat normal routine.

* * *

Marcus listened as his mate's footsteps climbed the stairs. Her heartbeat was the calmest he had heard it tonight, finally his mate was safe.

He concentrated on the soft beat as he tracked Juliet's movements. Her footsteps quieted as the two girls reached the second floor leading to his sister's rooms. He heard the young demon introduce herself as they exchanged pleasantries. Marcus also heard his mate enter Claire's bathroom, listened to the rustle of fabric as her clothes hit the floor.

As soon as the shower started, his mask slipped. Fangs shot out of his gums as he began to shake with anger. He buried his head in his hands and gripped his hair, trying hard to remain calm. It would do no good to loose control with Juliet nearby. He was failing as a mate if tonight's events were any indication.

Both Marcus and his beast were left unsatisfied with the minimal killing in the park. No amount of violence could appease them after a life-threatening attack to their mate. He was positive those vampires were sired by the same person and that was who Marcus would relish killing.

His beast was growling loudly in his head, only able to make furious sounds of its rage. His skin prickled with the need to transform and find the bastard; Marcus lifted his head with dark intent.

Through the red haze of anger he saw his mother standing directly in front of him, his father's restraining hands gripped her shoulders. The raw look of concern he saw on his mother's face made him pause, his murderous thoughts simmered slightly.

"What happened tonight Marcus?" she questioned.

The answer was simple but restraining the rage was not so easy. Several lights in the living room shattered as he snarled, "Vampires."

His father shoved the queen behind him, protecting her from Marcus. That felt like a punch in the gut to think he was a danger to his own family. No one moved while he fought for control; he panted with the effort to lock away his frustrated beast. It desperately wanted to be let free, to maim and destroy anything in its path.

The Demon Prince frantically sought out the sound of the shower running, the falling water hitting tile reminded him of who he was fighting for. His mate would not like to see him like this, she did not deserve a snarling monster who could loose control at any moment.

It was like Juliet was an antidote to his poisonous rage, his beast noticeably calmed with thoughts of her. The creature paced around in his head, still disturbed about the night's events but finally Marcus was able to think a little more clearly.

He needed to be smart about this; his family would be able to help him find the bastard responsible. Very slowly the red haze faded from his vision, his beast still listened to the sound of the running water and they both took solace in the fact that their mate was safe and nearby.

He shamefully met his mother's eyes, they were wide and glassy. "Forgive me, mother" he apologized while respectfully lowering his head.

He could hear the rustle of her clothes as she tried to get closer but at his father's grunt of disapproval she stopped. "Marcus sweetheart, it's okay. Please tell us what happened, we only want to help you."

Even though he had frightened her, his mother still forgave him, another dose of guilt was added to his burden and it loosened his tongue. "She was attacked by a group of vampires tonight. I was almost too late."

He put a tight lid on his emotions, another outburst would do no good but it was difficult when he could clearly remember the bitter scent of her fear.

"How many were there?" his father asked stepping closer. His commanding tone helped Marcus to calmly explain what happened.

"I fought twelve, Juliet took on another." Now that the danger had passed the Demon Prince could appreciate his mate's courage. He was immensely proud of her bravery when he saw her attack the vampire, his mate was a fighter. If she could stand up to a vampire then maybe she would be able to accept his true nature.

The king's eyebrows rose and a hint of his familiar demeanor softened his face, "Impressive."

The Demon Prince understood his father's attitude tonight, his son had transported directly into his supposedly unbreakable house and then Marcus almost attacked his family all because of Juliet. He took his father's comment as a sign that he held no grudge against her for any of that.

Marcus nodded his gratitude, "They were newly made, and I could still smell their humanity on them. They were stupid enough to try and fight me. I believe they were all sired by the same vampire and I _will_ find him."

Only his desire to keep Juliet safe was powerful enough to quell the surge of anger he felt at the thought of someone creating rouge vampires and letting them run loose.

"Where did this happen, son?"

He took another deep breath, Marcus never had such a difficult time restraining his emotions but perhaps that was a result of being mated. "Near her home, she lives in Florida."

His mother's face lit up at the information, "So that's where you have been! You moved closer to her didn't you?"

He nodded under her exuberant assumption. His father turned to smile softly at his wife, charmed by her enthusiasm. Marcus watched as the royal couple shared a moment that clearly indicated they were communicating silently to each other.

He was determined to have that with Juliet; he wanted the intimacy of sharing his thoughts and feelings with his mate. The feeble bond connecting them was driving him insane but he was willing to wait for Juliet. She had to _want_ to be with him, he would not force her.

His father was much more himself when he faced Marcus once again, "I assume that is where your brother has been as well?"

"He refuses to leave me alone" he grumbled, causing his parents to laugh and the atmosphere in the room lightened considerably. Marcus only needed his brother's computer skills to enroll him into Juliet's college but Zivan thought it would be more entertaining to remain in Florida than returning home.

A thought struck Marcus; perhaps it was a good thing that his brother was still in the sunshine state. He took out his phone, which surprisingly was unharmed from the attack and dialed Zivan's phone number.

His brother answered on the second ring, "Hey, bro. What's up?"

"Zivan I need you to do some cleanup work for me. I will send you a mental picture of the park I need you to go to. Dispose of any evidence you see." Marcus had not even spared a thought to exposure when he was fighting in the park. His mind was focused on protecting his mate.

"Wait, what are you talking about? What the hell happened?" Zivan demanded.

"No questions, just clean it up." And with that he ended the phone call. Marcus concentrated on finding the mental link he had with his brother and telepathically sent him an image of the park where the vampires had attacked. He knew Zivan would understand once he saw the piles of ashes Marcus had left.

_Oh, I get it now. No problem, bro I got this. _The younger demon was well aware of the threat of exposure and thankfully did not argue.

Closing the link Marcus turned back to his parents and noticed that Claire had joined them downstairs. "How is she?" he asked his sister.

She shrugged in answer, "She seems fine, a little confused though."

That made reality come back and fill him with dread. He would have to tell Juliet everything, explain what happened in the park, what attacked her and what he was.

His shoulders sagged with a heavy sigh as he thought about that conversation.

"Son?"

Marcus regarded his father warily, the king's tone did not sound friendly.

"How were you able to transport directly into the house? How did you get past the barriers?"

Another sigh left his lips; this was something he had put off telling his father for some time now. "Over the last few years I have noticed that my magic has grown exponentially. Even I do not know the full extent of my power."

Silence met his confession, his family knew as well as he that this was not normal. Ever since his maturity Marcus had known he was different from his family in terms of strength and power but this surpassed what anyone could have imagined. His magic held power well beyond his years and it only kept growing, that was why losing control of his emotions was dangerous. He only had his bloodline to blame for choosing Marcus to house the beast inside him.

The king was disturbed by his confession, if Marcus was able to pierce the impenetrable magical barrier protecting royal house then that led to the question of 'what else can he do?' Even he was afraid of that answer.

Suddenly the shower shut off, his eyes shot up to the ceiling. He could hear the pips gurgle as the water drained.

"Marcus, you and your father can talk about this later. Right now you need to make your mate something to eat," his mother reminded him.

Damn, she was right. He had been focused on controlling his emotions that he had forgotten his promise to feed his mate.

The Demon Prince rushed into the kitchen and wrenched open the refrigerator door. His cooking skills were limited but he would try for Juliet.

* * *

Hello readers

Please tell me what you thought of this chapter. I introduced a few things here that will be explained in more detail later in the story so if something doesn't make sense now it might in a few more chapters.

Feel free to review and thanks for reading

Alkedema.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Devotion and Desire**

**Hello readers. No, I am not dead I am just really, really slow at updating. I am soooo sorry. I feel terrible for the long wait between chapters. So I'll save my ramblings for the end of the chapter. **

**Enjoy!**

Juliet hurried through her shower; she didn't want to be away from Marcus for too long. Even though she knew he was a part of the supernatural, he gave her a sense of security, someone to hold on to in this mess.

The warm water was soothing and helped wash away the trials of the night. She rested her forehead on the wet tile as an image of pale skin and fangs flashed through her mind. She took a shaky breath and began to lather soap in the bath sponge.

The teen had scrubbed her scalp raw trying to get out any of the ash out of her hair and now she used that same treatment with her body. She scrubbed the skin until it turned pink with irritation; she wanted every speck of dirt washed away.

Juliet stood under the spray of water shaking slightly as she recalled what happened in the park. All those people, no, those monsters were dead and she watched it happen, even helped. Her morals were turned upside down; religiously she committed no sin, right?

The church allowed violence in self-defense, but her conscience cracked under the weight of the life she helped take. Juliet chose to swing the bat at her attacker and now she had to deal with the consequences.

A sense of urgency hovered over her head, telling her to find Marcus; he could chase the bad thoughts away. Maybe he could help her deal with what happened tonight.

A sane part of her mind spoke up, _why do you need him? He is the one that brought you into this mess. You shouldn't even be here in the first place._

Juliet couldn't argue with that, she should have asked to leave as soon as she was safe. But for some reason the brunette couldn't bring herself to walk away, she wanted, no _needed_ to know what was happening. Ignorance might be bliss but it seemed like the logical part of her brain was being overshadowed by her heart.

She couldn't stop the unnamable bond that had formed between her and Marcus, and to be honest she didn't want it to end. Despite being in the dark, the teen felt undeniably safe with him; there was a part of her that felt like they were old friends. That strange part told her with frightening clarity that she could trust him.

Juliet stepped out of the shower when the water turned cold. She turned the knobs shutting off the stream of water and watched as it drained away. Droplets of water slid down her skin, chilling her. She grabbed a towel and patted herself dry and carefully stepped out of the shower.

As soon as she opened the shower door a cloud of steam rolled out in front of her, fogging the large mirror. Juliet anchored the fluffy white towel under her arms so that it draped from her breasts to her knees. She swiped the steam off the mirror with her hand, leaving a small patch of visibility for her to see her reflection. The woman staring back had rosy cheeks from the heat of the shower but other than that she was very pale. She also looked scared, her glassy eyes were wide with turbulent emotions.

Sighing Juliet turned away from the mirror. She picked up the pile of clothes that Claire gave her, a pair of sweats and a Beatles t-shirt. The brunette smiled at the girl's taste in music.

She also gave Juliet a bikini bottom as underwear and a white bra that still had the tag on it. The teen was glad she didn't have to walk around in front of everyone without wearing any underwear.

She dropped the towel and began to dress, noticing how Claire was not the same size as her. The sweat pants fit alright because they were designed to loosen but the t-shirt was way too small on her.

Lucky girl, Juliet thought. The bra was a little tight but wearable, it was obvious that Claire had a much smaller frame than her. The teen's breasts stretched the material of the t-shirt so much that the Paul McCarthy on the front looked distorted. And the black material was a few inches too short, showing a sizable amount of flesh.

Juliet choked out a harsh laugh, grateful for the mundane distraction to take her thoughts away from the night's events.

She sat on the white porcelain toilet and began to towel dry her hair. When she had first entered the bathroom she was reminded of a fancy hotel, everything in it was obviously expensive and very well maintained. She felt out of her element in such a high-end place, she wasn't used to being surrounded by so much obvious wealth.

It made her a bit self-conscious to think of the income gap between Marcus and his family as compared to her own. They were literally from different worlds, not only in wealth. Her hero belonged to the supernatural world, that much was obvious. While not technically okay with that, Juliet found that she could at least accept the fact. She only hoped her opinion of him wouldn't change after everything was explained.

She took a deep breath and stood up. Locating a small hairbrush Juliet took several minutes to brush the tangles out of her hair. Satisfied with her hair, she gathered her dirty clothes and opened the large bathroom door. Juliet stepped into Claire's very spacious bedroom; the brunette had no doubt that it was as big as her entire house.

Goosebumps erupted on her skin as the cool air hit her damp body. She crossed her arms over her chest and walked over to the large bed, Juliet plopped down on the comfy sheets. She grabbed the tote bag that Claire had lent her and put her clothes and running gear in it, minus her phone which she kept in her pocket and set the bag on the floor.

She looked around the massive room, noticing a white zip-up hoodie hanging on the edge of a hamper. She immediately put it on. Hopefully Claire wouldn't mind her using it but she was freezing and plus the jacket would cover up the tiny shirt.

Deeming herself decent enough, Juliet stood with a pounding heart and slowly walked out the bedroom door and down the hall leading to the stairs.

The smell of burnt food greeted her nose as soon as she reached the bottom step. There was a cloud of smoke spilling into the open living room and she followed it into the kitchen. She had a feeling that her hero was the cause for the smell.

Thankfully the kitchen had an open layout so the smoke didn't suffocate the _chef_ , she couldn't help but smile when she saw Marcus trying to wave off the thick gray cloud.

"Do you need help?" she asked with a laugh.

He whipped his big body around to face her, the look on his face said that she surprised him by sneaking up behind him. Chagrin quickly followed making him look adorable as he tried to find an excuse for the mess he made.

"He specifically asked for no help and look what happened to my kitchen." His mother emerged from the cloud of smoke and bustled past Marcus. She had a smile on her face that said she wasn't too upset about the mess.

She reached the source of the smoke which was coming from the toaster oven and opened the little door. A great cloud of smoke billowed out of the appliance and filled the kitchen making Juliet's eyes water. Her lungs protested the lack of oxygen and she started to cough loudly.

Even though she couldn't see him, Juliet knew that Marcus was the one who grabbed her arm and steered her out of the kitchen. He led them to a non-smoke filled part of the house and had her sit down. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the clean air, blinking rapidly she saw her hero looking down at her with worried eyes.

She grinned up at him, coughing the last bits of smoke out of her body, "I'm going to take a wild guess and assume that my food is burnt." She found it funny that her hero could do amazing things but he couldn't cook.

"Not all of it," he stated while placing a plate of eggs in front of her. The teen stared at the mouth-watering perfection, the eggs were cooked perfectly and just how she liked them, over-easy. _How did he know how to cook them?_

He sat down in the chair next to her and handed over a fork, "These are eatable, I burnt the toast."

His head was lowered when she looked back at him, another grin played on her lips; he was embarrassed of the disaster in the kitchen.

"I remembered that you have food allergies and eggs were the only food I could cook that you are able to eat" he explained in a low voice. It warmed her heart that he could be so caring to her, they had only known each other for a couple of days but this care and connection she felt from him just seemed natural.

Marcus began to pick at the loose hem of his black t-shirt and it was then that she noticed his wardrobe change; this one lacked the vicious claw marks he had endured. The slouch of his body made the material stretch across his muscled shoulders, giving him a vulnerable look. "Marcus," she waited until he raised his dark head and met her eyes, "These look amazing, thank you for remembering about my allergies."

He gave her a tentative smile but stopped short when his mom came into the room smelling heavily of smoke. "You are not allowed near the toaster oven again, young man."

Juliet couldn't help but laugh; it was a sight to see someone as big as Marcus being reprimanded by his mother. His mother looked at her with an amused expression, "Men" she exclaimed while shaking her head.

The brunette saw her hero shift uncomfortably in his chair and decided to take pity on him, "well, at least the eggs look good."

Marcus saw her feminine grin, and relaxed a little. His mother peeked over the teen's shoulder and saw the well-cooked food, "Yes that's only because I taught him how to cook them."

Juliet giggled before she could stop herself when she saw Marcus assume the pose of someone being ruthlessly embarrassed by a parent; his head was ducked slightly and a small cringe painted his handsome face. She purposefully picked up the fork and took a large bite of the eggs, hoping to cheer him up.

Her eyebrows rose when she tasted the perfectly seasoned food, "these are really good, Marcus."

His green eyes were trained on her lips when he murmured a thank you. _Oh crap_ she thought, there must be egg on her face. She went to grab a paper napkin but his large tan hand landed on it first. He brought the paper to the corner of her mouth and wiped away some yolk.

His mother chuckled at the two of them, "we will be waiting in the living room when you're done." She squeezed Juliet's shoulder as she left the room.

After the brunette swallowed another bite, she turned to Marcus with questioning eyes, "what did she mean?"

His forehead creased and with a reluctant sigh he answered her, "My family is going to help me explain what happened tonight."

"Oh" that brought reality back with a bang. She did want everything explained but was she ready to hear it?

Her worry was reflected in her hero's green eyes, his hands were nervously twisting the napkin he held.

Not knowing what to say, Juliet returned to eating the food but with much less enthusiasm than before. She pushed around the eggs unable to eat them because her stomach was now filled with butterflies.

Marcus saw her sudden lack of appetite, "Please eat some more."

Her stomach rebelled the thought of food, "I'm sorry but I can't." she held a hand on her belly and he seemed to understand that she was too nervous to eat.

"Can I at least get you something to drink? Maybe some orange juice?" His voice was pleading and his face told her that he was desperate to please. It calmed her nerves to think that he cared about her wellbeing. She gave him a grateful smile and nodded.

He piled her fork and napkin on top of the eggs and headed for the kitchen. She watched him stride out of the dining room noticing how he barely made a sound when moving.

He was startling graceful for a man of his size, he walked with a gait that reminded her of a jungle cat stalking through the forest. He moved quickly and silently out of sight.

The loud screeching sound of a chair being pulled out from the table interrupted her ogling. A tall man with long auburn hair sat down next to her; his bright blue eyes were excited as they watched her.

He invaded her personal space by scooting his chair so that he was almost touching her leg with his own. "Hi there," he grinned showing a perfect set of white teeth.

This stranger might have been handsome if he wasn't two inches from her face, but as it was Juliet could only register the fact that him being so close made her uncomfortable.

She her eyebrows disappeared into her hair when the blue-eyed man took her left hand and brought it to his nose, making a show of smelling it. A frightful image of her attacker in the park flashed through her mind, the way this man took her hand reminded Juliet of how the creep had held it hostage earlier that night.

The brunette reacted instantly, she pushed on his chair, making the one she was sitting in scoot back and away from him. The grip on her hand loosened and she scrambled out of the chair once she was free.

She didn't get far though, as soon as she turned away from his shocked face the teen ran straight into Marcus. She hit his chest hard enough to stop her escape.

Her hero didn't seem affected by the impact, he didn't even spill the glass of juice he was holding as his arm snaked around her waist and pulled her flush against him.

His green eyes were glaring at the man sitting at the table. Shoulders tense and jaw tight he asked her, "What did he do to you?"

She watched the stranger stand to full height with his hands raised in a sign of surrender. He leaned against the table with an innocent grin.

"He smelled my hand." The argument sounded weak to her own ears but the attack in the park was still too fresh for her, the similarities were too close for comfort.

The band of muscle around her waist tightened, a sign of displeasure. He regarded the other man with little more than annoyance, like one would treat a fly buzzing around. His slightly irritated expression was ruined by the strain in his tense jaw hiding clenched teeth; showing that the other man bothered him more than he let on.

Slightly concerned, she covered the hand on her waist with her much smaller one. Marcus dropped his eyes to her, his frustration softened and eventually faded away. Curious hazel eyes wondered at the turn of emotion.

She wasn't given time to dwell on it however, her hero guided her out of the dining room completely ignoring the other man. He led her back to the living room she first appeared in, his parents and Claire were all sitting on a long tan couch; their eyes were trained on her arrival. She gave a weak smile to Claire while pulling on the white fabric she was wearing silently thanking her for use of the hoodie; the younger girl smiled in response.

Turning back to the room, Juliet swallowed hard; despite wanting answers to tonight's events the brunette was suddenly nervous about confronting the situation. Did she really want to hear whatever Marcus had to say?

He gently placed the glass of orange juice on a coaster and sat on the couch across from his family. She purposefully sat very close to him, even though she had every right to freak out the brunette still considered him to be her safety net.

The man with the auburn hair walked into the living room behind them, choosing to sit in a recliner near the rest of the family. Hazel eyes watched him warily. When he sat close to Marcus' father Juliet could see the similarities between them, same nose and same high cheekbones.

_That must be his brother_, she thought. She turned to Marcus for confirmation; his green eyes mimicked her gaze and rested on the man in the lone chair. She could see his jaw muscle tighten as he ground out, "Juliet, that is my brother. Zivan, you are not allowed to touch her."

There was a real threat behind his voice, an undercurrent of a dark promise. Marcus had realized that his brother's actions had scared her and she smiled at his protective concern for her. He really was her hero, always there when she needed him, protecting her from harm.

His hand was clenched tightly on top of his thigh and Juliet found herself reaching out to place her hand on his white knuckled fist. His dark head snapped to her, the hard edge of his face softened as he met her gaze.

"It's okay, I kind of overreacted. He just scared me, is all." She didn't want to cause a rift in the family just because she was jumpy.

"He should know better than to sneak up on you," by the tone in his voice it sounded like Marcus was trying to calm down. Maybe there was something she was missing if he was acting like this to his brother.

All eyes were on Zivan as he gave his older brother an innocent look, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. With his hands raised in surrender he explained, "I didn't mean to scare her. All I did was say hi, is that so bad?"

Marcus slowly unclenched his fist and grasped her hand tightly, making a show of his claim. Juliet felt like this had gone on long enough, "Marcus" she called softly. His name was the catalyst to his calmer mood, her raven haired hero immediately relaxed when she spoke.

Encouraging his calm further, she lent her shoulder against his muscular one. That one small action sent a message of comfort to him and judging by the sound of resignation in his light sigh she knew he had appreciated the thought.

The brunette felt a burst of affection bloom in her chest; her very large, very muscular protector relied on her for strength. He showed a vulnerability that brought a surge of protectiveness within her; he trusted her and she could do no different than return it in full.

The fall of the agitated energy left a quiet lull in the room, it was enough for her to see the elephant in the room. The air was tense as everyone looked at her, probably waiting for her to start asking questions. She sat up and as a last ditch effort to delay what was to come she took a sip of the orange juice Marcus had brought.

The second the liquid washed over her tongue Juliet knew something was wrong. She tried to spit out the juice but when it hit the back of her throat her body instinctively swallowed it. She sputtered a gulp of the orange juice and coughed away the acidic taste still on her tongue.

Juliet set down the glass and snatched her hand away from it like it had bitten her. Marcus' brow furrowed in concern, his expression clearly said that her reaction to the juice confused him; his green eyes were serious as they darted from her to the glass and back again.

"Where are we?" she whispered hoarsely. She knew the answer; she knew what she had tasted but she needed him to say it.

Being a native born Floridian, she knew what Florida orange juice tasted like. The glass on the table did not taste like the fresh juice she was raised on. That meant it wasn't from her home state. Wherever Marcus had taken her, it wasn't Florida.

It was obvious he wasn't expecting her question, "This is my family's house," he said cautiously.

Juliet took a deep breath, this was getting her nowhere. Apparently her hero was very reserved when it came to speaking. "And where is that exactly?" she countered.

Marcus became extremely uncomfortable as her question sank in; he looked like a child that was caught doing something wrong.

So quietly that Juliet had trouble hearing it, Marcus muttered, "New Jersey."

The teen stopped breathing and she could feel the blood drain out of her face. _New Jersey?_ She knew that he had done sort of magic thing and transported them out of the park but she never imagined being in another state. She could only watch as her hero's face scrunched up like he was in pain.

She had no idea how to handle this information, she couldn't deny it. He told her to close her eyes and then poof, she was standing in his parent's living room. "How is that possible?" she wondered out loud.

Marcus had his jaw clenched tight again and she got the impression that he was just as nervous about explaining all this as she was to hear it. It was like he was intimidated by her, by her possible reaction to his words.

After a minute of false starts, he finally spoke, "I have certain … abilities. I am able to do things most people cannot."

Juliet blinked owlishly at him, waiting for more but his jaw returned to its tense position. She turned sideways on the couch so she could look directly at him and demand a full explanation.

His head dropped and hung from his shoulders like it was suddenly too heavy to hold up. She was startled by the frightened look on his face; the brunette was only able to see a glimpse of it before he buried his face in his hands.

Juliet was worried that something was wrong; he didn't seem well at all. She placed a tentative hand on his large shoulder and felt his muscles jerk underneath her touch. Silence was his only response.

She looked towards his family for help and his mother spoke up. "He is just a little nervous is all. This is the first time we've ever had to explain all this to someone" she said with a small smile that was meant to reassure.

Juliet glanced over to Marcus to see him staring back at her; his green eyes were filled with apprehension. Maybe she really didn't want to know what was going on.

"You don't have to tell me Marcus. I don't need to know" she whispered hoping that her words would lift his somber mood. She didn't like to see her hero look so defeated.

A wan smile touched his lips, "Actually you do." His cryptic response did nothing to reassure her.

Biting the bullet, Juliet asked, "And what exactly do I need to know?" Her question was loaded with implications; it was open enough for Marcus to decide what he wanted to tell her.

She clenched her hands in preparation when she saw Marcus open his mouth to reply. Looking her in the eyes he said, "I'm not human." His voice was tortured and his wide green eyes were trained on her face, watching her reaction.

A few black dots danced in her vision, Juliet tried blinking them away. Her heart beat faster as she thought about what happened in the park and linking it to what he just said. What she had assumed was true, no normal man could heal so quickly or shoot green stuff out of his hand or poof into another state.

Juliet hung her head and concentrated on breathing deeply, this wasn't anything she didn't guess but it was still shocking to hear him confirm it. How was she supposed to handle this? There was no denying what he said, based on what she saw him do in the park.

There was no other option; she had to face the facts head on. Taking a deep breath, Juliet met Marcus' sharp green eyes. He looked helpless as he stared at her, worry creased his brow and slumped his shoulders. He was watching her every move, searching for any sign to clue him in on what she was thinking.

The way he carried his body showed a docility that made his presence less intimidating. He no longer looked like a warrior who was able to fight off evil vampires but instead he appeared humble under her stare, completely exposed for her perusal. It was an expression that made him look aged and tired as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders, an invisible strain that depended on her answer.

Oddly enough, his uncertainty gave her courage. Her female intuition already told her he was genuinely concerned for her, that his open emotions weren't faked just to please her. Then again she knew that from their earlier encounters, his honesty was why she felt so drawn to him.

Juliet wondered if him being… different would change the way she felt about him. As she stared at his green gaze, the teen had her answer. Her hormones didn't care if he wasn't human; she was still stunned by his beauty and charmed by his vulnerable heart that he wore on his sleeve just for her.

It took her nearly a minute to settle her thoughts. "I guessed as much," she finally said, her voice was quiet but strong. Her little epiphany gave the brunette a boost of courage. The man in front of her was her hero, human or not he still came to her rescue many times; she could go crazy about the details later.

Marcus simply stared at her with wide green eyes; his expression was of hopeful amazement. He was just as surprised as she was with her calm tone. His sharp stare was intensely focused on her face, his dark eyebrows were drawn together as he watched her, unsure of what to say. Juliet simply let him study her, amused by the stunned look on his handsome face. Honestly, she couldn't blame him for being shocked that she wasn't freaking out because she was surprised with herself.

He was looking for a sign that she was hiding her true feelings but when he found the conviction of her statement on her face his massive shoulders sagged in relief and she could practically feel his worry seep away. A pink tongue peeked out to wet his full lips as he floundered for an answer, his sculpted mouth worked to form words. She felt slightly empowered that she was able to render him speechless but that wasn't what she wanted. She needed him to explain himself further.

Cautiously, Juliet reached across the small space between them and gently placed her hand on top of his as a sign of comfort and trust. Her heart leapt when he took an unsteady, deep breath and his green eyes practically glowed with awe.

Before she was certain of what she saw, he ducked his head, black hair shielding his eyes from view. She could feel his gaze on their joined hands and he placed his large hand on hers, creating a cage around her much smaller appendage.

Her heart warmed at the gesture and she felt empowered by how she handled the news.

A small contented sigh had Juliet turning to face his family; she had almost forgotten they were even there. All eyes were on her, watching with an approving stare. His mother wore a brilliant smile and the teen got the feeling that she did something right, like they were silently applauding her.

An unsettling question popped into her head.

"Does that apply to everyone?" she asked warily, referring to Marcus' non-human status. She briefly made eye contact with everyone in the room; they, just like her hero, seemed normal enough, they didn't look like another species.

It would make sense though; if Marcus wasn't human then it would be logical to assume that his family wasn't either. Unless, he was adopted…

"Yes dear." His mother said with a small chuckle. Darn it, there goes that idea.

Juliet had enough trust in her hero to extend to his family. Honestly, she didn't have the energy to think about why she should be worried about being in the company of a family of non-humans.

Another thought crept into head, if Marcus wasn't human than what was he? The teen shook her head; that was too big of a question for her to handle at the moment, she wasn't quite ready for the answer.

So instead, the brunette diverted her curiosity to another supernatural quality she saw in her hero.

With deliberate slowness, Juliet used her free hand to pry off the cage Marcus had created. She picked up his strong hand flipped it over to study. Long tapered fingers, wide palm, it looked harmless but the brunette knew how powerful it could be if he chose to show his strength.

She traced the lines on his palm and asked quietly, "Because you're not… because you're different, does that… I mean why or rather how…" Juliet cringed at the mangled question she was trying to spit out. She kept stumbling on the words that made the supernatural seem real, almost like her tongue had a hard time pronouncing them.

The teen took a calm, steadying breath and tried again, this time lacking all the pretenses. She held up Marcus' hand for his inspection, "what was that green stuff?"

There, she said it. Her statement was more than just satisfying curiosity, it meant that she was going to believe any story he told her. She was going to keep an open mind.

A gentle smile tugged at his striking mouth, smoothing out the tension in his face. His deep baritone was free from the stress that had tightened it before, "Those abilities I mentioned…,"

He reached his free hand to gingerly brush a few stray wisps of hair from her face, the light touch of his fingertips at her temple sent tingling trials of warmth across her cheek. The contact was gentle with a peaceful longing that she shouldn't have been able to feel.

He leaned in close to her as he explained his answer, "The green light is my energy in physical form." His eyes were soft as the grateful smile he wore. Juliet found that smiling back was all too easy; the shock of the information seemed to have worn off with his comforting presence.

It was easy for her to relax when he was looking at her like she was the only woman on earth. An embarrassing blush crept onto her cheeks at the thought.

A flash of blue light coming from across the room had the couple turning to look at the source. Zivan was tossing a glowing blue ball up in the air then catching it with ease. She looked closely and noticed that the light never touched his hand, instead it hovered just above his palm. Juliet watched the display with awe, his blue eyes were on her and he wore a smug grin.

"Here, catch" he said while making a move to toss it over to her. Juliet jumped back into the couch, there was no way she was going to touch that. Her heart started pounding faster, she saw what Marcus could do with his energy and she did not want to be on the receiving end of that.

A low growl echoed in the room as Marcus shifted his position on the couch, intentionally using his tense shoulders to block her view of his brother. The hand she was still holding formed a fist and Juliet wondered if his hand would start to glow, the only times she saw that green light was when he was mad.

Her hand twitched reflexively, would the green light hurt her?

"Stop it boys" his mother called, her voice full of reprimand. Juliet couldn't see anything but judging by the way Marcus relaxed his shoulders, she assumed that Zivan no longer held the glowing blue ball.

The brunette squeezed Marcus' hand, effectively getting his attention. He turned back towards her, accidently bumping her knee and faced her directly. Again she held up his trapped hand, "Does it hurt?" Hopefully he knew she was referring to the light.

His eyes seemed to soften as he shook his dark head. Her eyebrows drew together, "But I saw what happened in the park, with those guys."

Marcus leaned in close and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, the warmth coming off his body soothed her frazzled nerves. Her heart rate slowed and the teen was able to calmly breathe in his spicy cologne. "The energy bends to my will. It will do whatever I command of it" he whispered softly, using a tone that exuded reassurance.

Oddly, this was a topic that she had no problem talking about; in fact, she was rather intrigued by his… energy. It was like her childhood fantasies were coming to life, magic was real and she was sitting with her own Prince Charming. Unfortunately, monsters appeared to be real as well.

That brought up her next daunting question, she met his gaze "Who were those people in the park?"

She met his gaze and tried not to show how unnerved the thought made her. The hard lines of his mouth deepened at the slight tremble she couldn't hide in her tone.

Marcus lost his calm confidence, his features that were once relaxed now hardened and he squared his shoulders almost as if he was preparing for an attack. Juliet swallowed hard, he didn't lean away from her but his closed posture put a certain distance between them. His body was an impenetrable fortress but his eyes betrayed a vulnerability that held his tongue.

Green eyes grew distant as he searched for an answer, he was going to edit and she didn't want that; Juliet had come this far and she wanted to know as much as she could handle. The 'v' word was on the tip of her tongue, wanting confirmation of her suspicions but at the same time she didn't want to upset Marcus anymore.

The decision was taken out of her hands when his father spoke up, "Who do you think they were, Juliet?"

That was the first time he had spoken to her and Juliet found herself a little unnerved by him. His deep, deadpanned voice matched his impassive face, unyielding and intimidating.

He issued the challenge, making her say what was on her tongue. The teen didn't know why but she felt like Marcus' father didn't like her very much. Maybe it was because she was asking his son questions he obviously didn't want to answer.

Anyway, Juliet didn't want to shy away from him so she sat up straighter, met his eyes directly and said, "I think they were…" Her voice had started out strong but soon lost its confidence. Marcus comfortingly squeezed her shoulder and the teen turned towards him. He let his hand slid down her arm to join his other one. She cradled both of them and swallowed hard, finishing in a whisper, "Vampires."

His dark head slowly nodded yes, wary green eyes studied her reaction. Juliet closed her eyes and leaned her head against her hero's chest. Breathe in, breathe out.

She mulled over the word, vampire. Like most people, Juliet knew the myths about vampires; undead creatures with a thirst for blood. The people in the park were certainly crazy enough to fit the description. A shudder passed through her as an image of a sadistic smile flashed through her mind. Why couldn't real vampires be like the teen heart throb vampires portrayed in today's movies?

She took a large gulp of orange juice and tried to calm her nerves. The cool liquid slid down her throat smoothly. She really didn't want to believe vampires were real, didn't want to think about how close those monsters were to her home.

That thought caused a chill to settle in her bones. "Can I go back home or will they attack me again." Her voice held a small amount of strength but she was proud of it. At least she wasn't crying in terror.

Marcus spoke with calm reassurance, "They only attacked because of your blood." He stroked the inside of her left palm tenderly, silently saying sorry.

Her brow furrowed in confusion, his statement didn't make sense; the vampire was there before she cut herself, she was positive of that.

"How did you get that cut anyway?" Juliet saw Zivan lean forward, balancing his elbows on his knees. He was curious about the situation, and looking around the room said everyone shared the same sentiment.

"A vampire tripped me," she recalled with dread in her tone. The grip on her hand tightened and she saw a look of dark fury cross her hero's face. The intimidating look in his eyes demanded to know what happened and soon she was blabbing the entire story. "I was running in the park and I heard a noise behind me, like a twig snapping. For some reason it gave me the creeps so I decided to go home."

Marcus pulled his hands out of her grasp and placed them on his knees. She saw them ruffle the fabric of his pants when he clenched them tightly. What she was saying was obviously making him upset, maybe she should shut up.

It was like he heard that thought because he shook his head, "I'm fine. Please continue."

Juliet took a deep breath, "I tried to run to my car but… someone, one of those guys in the park, tripped me and I fell. That's how I cut myself." Chills ran up her spine as she remembered the feeling of something grabbing her ankle.

Marcus shot off the couch and started pacing in front of her. The brunette thought she saw a flash of red in his eyes but she couldn't be sure because he moved to fast.

His white knuckled fists shook at his sides, jaw clenched tight. Her heart pounded at his reaction, if he was this upset than that couldn't be good.

Juliet pushed forward on the couch so that she was barley sitting on it and reached out a gentle hand to stop Marcus in his tracks. He looked down at her with wide green eyes that shone of a startling mix of vulnerability and anger. "What does that mean?" she asked softly.

He took several deep breaths, green eyes trained on her face. Whatever the answer was, it was difficult for him to say. In fact this entire conversation hadn't been easy on him.

His father's commanding voice broke the silence. "Your scent," he declared in a sure tone. She was surprised when the statement was directed to Marcus instead of her. _His scent?_ What was that supposed to mean?

Every muscle in Marcus' body wound with tension at his father's words and Juliet felt an answering tension within her own body, whatever that statement meant he didn't like it.

She stood up and held her hero's strong arm like an anchor, he immediately leaned close so that they were touching. Her eyes were questioning as she met his, once again asking "What does that mean?"

When Marcus hesitated, his father answered, "They attacked because you smell like my son."

"Tarrik! There is no need to be so blunt," his wife reprimanded, giving him a stern look. The older man spared his wife a glance before pinning the couple with a hard stare.

Juliet clutched Marcus tighter, not liking where the conversation was going. She looked up at her hero but he refused to meet her eyes, guilt was plain on his features. That made her nervous and she looked around the room for answers.

She met Zivan's eyes with a hopeful expression; he had no problem talking to her before maybe he could help now. He shook his head, negatively responding to her silent question; his expression was guarded almost like he was afraid to disturb the thick silence.

As she turned to Claire for an answer, the younger girl pointedly looked at her mother, as if saying 'ask her'.

When Juliet faced the woman she was still staring at her husband with a frown firmly in place. The teen couldn't remember her name but she was sure the message would get across to her. "Please," she asked desperate to know what was going on.

It was obvious that Marcus's mother was wording her answer carefully, "You see dear, supernatural creatures have a heightened sense of smell, strong enough to determine a person's unique scent."

The older woman now stood up and wrung her hands together in a nervous fashion, she slowly approached the couple her face one of worried concern. "The vampires smelt Marcus on you and that is most likely why they attacked you."

At her explanation Marcus tensed beneath her fingers but that didn't deter the teen from asking, "Why would they care that I smell like Marcus?"

She was positive they were talking about the cinnamon aroma she smelt when they were close; even now she could smell it.

Her hero felt like a living stone statue, he was unmoving in his tense posture. She was concerned about his reaction to the situation, he obviously didn't like her being involved with vampires and she didn't blame him. The brunette hoped to never see another one again.

His mother carefully worded her answer, "Out of the two of you, Marcus would smell more appealing."

A shiver ran up her spine as Juliet finally understood, the vampires were able to smell Marcus on her and that's why they attacked. They wanted his blood not her's. In a weird, twisted, sci-fi thriller sort of way made sense but the only way to prevent this from happening again did not settle well with her.

"That means I have to stay away from him," she mused aloud not meaning for the thought to pass her lips.

"No!" Marcus shouted, startling her. His arms immediately wrapped around her; his grip lifted her up off her feet and held her against his chest. A sound of surprise rushed out of her throat as her arms were glued to her sides by his strong hold and her face was meshed with the material of his shirt, that troublesome scent of his crept into her nose momentarily distracting her. Even though she did not have super-smell, Juliet was grateful she was able to smell him at all. This was truly a smell she would never forget and she couldn't blame the vampires for trying to get close to it.

His grip was tight, almost like he was preventing her from getting away. Her heart stuttered in its beat at his vehement denial of her conclusion but she didn't see another way around it.

"Marcus," she mumbled against his shirt. "What else can I do?" Juliet tried to hug him but his strong arms prevented much movement on her part so she opted to let her head rest in a more comfortable position on his chest.

He lowered his dark head and spoke directly in her ear, "Stay here, with me." His warm breath tickled the hairs on the back of her neck and sent a delicious shiver up her spine.

Juliet pulled her upper body away from his warmth just enough so she could meet him in the eyes. His expression was of fierce determination, green eyes said he would not take no for an answer.

"Isn't it dangerous for me to be with you?" she asked gently, careful not to upset him more.

Locks of black hair brushed his cheek as he shook his head, "the safest place is by my side." His fierce tone resounded with confidence, it was a declaration and a promise to her. She trusted in the protection he could provide but Marcus couldn't be with her all day and when he left she would be exposed to danger.

She was about to argue when a vulnerable look crossed his features "Please," came his broken whisper, "just stay here tonight and I'll take you back in the morning when it's light out. It would be safer that way'

His plea echoed in the air between them and settled in her chest, tugging at her heart. Juliet closed her eyes against the pain but not before she saw a spark of desperation hit his green eyes. Why did her heart ache every time he looked at her like that? Like he was in pain and she was the only one who could ease it.

What worried the brunette though was her reaction to his pleading eyes and mesmerizing voice. The combination made her agree to magical transportation, got her hand healed and put food in her stomach. It seemed like she couldn't say 'no' to him but so far that benefited her nicely. Maybe she should continue to trust him, so far he hasn't steered her wrong.

Juliet sighed and leaned her forehead against his warm chest. "Ok" she said simply letting him lead her once again. Marcus heaved a mighty sigh and she felt his chin rest atop her head.

"Thank you," he breathed relief clear in his voice. She smiled into his shirt; this was why she agreed to spend the night with a bunch of supernatural creatures she knew nothing about because he needed her, as crazy as it was to think a man like him could need anything from her, Juliet could feel it was true. It was in the careful way he held her, in the protective way he guarded her.

Her body started to sag as the heavy scent of burnt cinnamon invaded her senses, inducing a languid drowsiness. A jaw splitting yawn broke free as the trials of the day finally caught up with her. All the excitement left the teen exhausted and she was glad Marcus was there to support her weight because a huge wave of lethargy washed over her. How nice of it to have waited until after she had asked her most important questions to crush her with its drowsy power.

"Juliet?" her hero questioned with a small amount of concern in his voice. He adjusted his hold on her, shifting his arms to allow her body to rest more comfortably against him.

She pillowed her cheek on his chest, "I'm really tired." Another yawn stretched her mouth wide adding credibility to her statement.

"Take her upstairs, Marcus. We can finish this tomorrow." Juliet recognized his mother's voice before her feet were taken off the ground. Her eyelids snapped open as her center of gravity shifted. He scooped her up with one arm hooked under her knees and the other circled around her back to cradle her against his strong chest. Her head instinctively rested against his shoulder as her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, clinging for support. A faint blush rose as he headed for the stairs, carrying her as easily and gracefully as if she were as light as a feather.

"I can walk," she protested, the sudden movement shook her out of her drowsiness and pumped nervous butterflies into her system. Her voice was a little high pitched than normal, maybe that was because her hunk of a hero was carrying her to bed. She felt his quiet laugh rumble out of his chest, the sound vibrated into her body.

Even in her embarrassed state of mind Juliet was able to appreciate the graceful way he moved. His steps were so smooth that she wasn't jostled at all and only a few short moments later he laid her down on a bed. The soft sheet greeted her weary body eliciting a quiet sigh from the brunette. She blinked slowly as Marcus hovered above her with his arms locked on either side of her body, creating a well-muscled cage. She could barely make out his face in the dim light of the room but he looked like the guardian angel he proved to be, protecting her from the things that go bump in the night.

After another huge yawn, she gave him a lazy smile, "Thank you for everything." A simple thank you seemed inadequate compared to what he did for her, but at the moment that was all she was able to muster.

She was able to see the white gleam of his teeth as he smiled back at her, "Of course Juliet" he said like saving her like was a fact of life. That stretched her smile wider; he really was her Prince Charming, saying all the right things, treating her like she was precious all the while protecting her from monsters.

His big body moved to sit near her head at the edge of the bed causing the mattress to dip under his weight. She rolled over to keep eye contact with him but her hoodie prevented any comfortable movement and twisted around her body so the teen sat up to remove it.

Her muscles ached when she pulled the material over her head, protesting at being stretched. Juliet attributed her soreness to the massive amounts of adrenaline that pumped through her body today, her poor muscles weren't used to this much excitement.

She tossed the hoodie to the other side of the bed and climbed up the bed to lean against the head board, twisting her head to watch her hero.

Even with the dim lighting she could see the outline of his handsome face, partially covered in shadows. He was close enough that she could hear his deep even breaths as they filled the silence of the room.

She couldn't determine any specific feature of his so she just focused on his huge body covered in shadow. He had a lot more muscle than anyone she ever met and he certainly knew how to use them, but no matter what he did or said Juliet did fear him.

"I think," she stated, concluding her thoughts and pausing to let out another large yawn. "I think I'm crazy for staying here but for some reason it feels right." She moved closer to sit next to him on the bed and he opened his arm to accommodate her. She let her head rest on his shoulder as his arm wrapped around her in a half hug.

It felt so good to be nestled up with him and she gave him a lazy smile as his arm tightened around her waist. He was so sweet and patient with her, he made the events of tonight a little easier to deal with.

She shifted her torso, trying to situate herself better but the small t-shirt kept bunching up, making her uncomfortable. "Marcus, do you have something I could wear to bed? This shirt is too tight."

If her mind wasn't so fogged with sleep then she might have been embarrassed by drawing attention to her predicament. But as it was, the brunette didn't pay much attention as to how her words might affect her companion and only wanted to get more comfortable.

She felt Marcus stiffen but he soon got up off the bed and disappeared into the dark room. Before she could ask what he was doing he returned with a large black t-shirt. He handed it to her, letting the soft material brush her hand. "You can wear this tonight, if you want," he murmured.

The last part was added as an afterthought, almost as if he thought she wouldn't want to wear the incredibly soft material.

"This is perfect, thanks." She tried to stifle another yawn but she didn't fool her hero, Juliet felt his large hand tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You should sleep now," his velvet voice was pure seduction and Juliet could feel her eyelids start to droop. He leaned over and brushed his lips across her forehead, "I'm so glad you decided to stay."

The whispered words against her skin had her smiling, he was impossible to deny. The combination of his pleading eyes and his earnest voice sealed the deal for her; he was just too persuasive when he wanted something. "Me too."

The bed dipped as he kneeled on it, his huge shadowed form encircled her in his wonderful warmth. She sighed into the hug, loving the feeling of his body pressed up against her. She reached up to hug him back, her hands resting on the broad expanse of his back. She could feel him bury his nose in her hair and inhale. "Goodnight Juliet," he breathed into her hair, spreading Goosebumps across her scalp.

Her lips stretched wide, this kind of intimacy made her feel so protected and cared for. He really was Prince Charming. "Goodnight Marcus."

His fingers twitched slightly against her back, almost as if he didn't want to leave. "I will be sleeping across the hall, if you need anything."

He slowly pulled away and Juliet felt unreasonably cold without him. It was strange, she never felt so enamored with a guy before but with Marcus it felt right being near him. She had given him her trust so easily but looking at his vulnerable eyes made her believe that he might feel the same way about her.

He lingered at the door, leaning lightly against the doorframe; the hall light created a yellow glow around him and allowed Juliet to see the affection expression on his face. They locked eyes and the brunette could practically feel the calm wash over her, she felt completely at ease with him. Without any of the fear and confusion from before Juliet smiled widely at her hero, at peace with the fact that he would protect her.

She noticed his eyes widen slightly, seemingly surprised with her brave smile. A giddy amount of affection bloomed in her chest at his open expression, stretching her grin wider. He returned it with a gentle lifting of his lips, pushing off the doorframe he turned around, reaching for the doorknob to give her privacy.

"Wait," she called before he shut the door completely.

He stopped instantly, turning around to face her, eyes bright and curious.

"Um, could you turn on a light? I can't see in here." Her question startled him, almost as if he forgot it was pitch black in the room.

"Of course," came his soft reply. He walked to the left of the door and Juliet could hear a switch flip on. Gentle yellow lights illuminated the room causing the teen to adjust to the light. She could now see the bed he placed her in was huge, definitely a king. She ran her hands over the gold patterned sheets mulling over the fact that she had never slept in a bed so huge before.

Juliet glanced up and took in her surroundings, the room reminded her of a hotel room. All the essentials were there, she could even see the attached bathroom across the room but it was sparsely decorated in terms of personal affects. The furniture and fixings were beautiful and expensive but it lacked any warmth. _This must be a guest room_, she surmised.

"Everything you should need is already in the bathroom." Marcus quietly told her. Juliet looked back at him; he was watching her intently, his green eyes glued to her face. She blinked under his stare wondering what he was thinking as his gentle smile faded slowly.

"Thank you," she mumbled, swinging her legs off the side of the bed and standing up with his shirt clutched in her hands. "Goodnight," she whispered again, her tone soft but appreciative.

"Goodnight Juliet, I will see you in the morning." He seemed reluctant to leave as she was to see him go but all too soon he disappeared behind the wooden door with a soft snap.

Juliet stared at the door for a few seconds, relieved with the way tonight ended. Her day started out horrible, losing her job seemed insignificant compared to vampires and magic but with Marcus by her side she was able to walk into the attached bathroom with a small smile.

_This was the right decision,_ she told her reflection in the vast mirror that stretched from ceiling to an expensive, aqua blue countertop. She saw an unopened toothbrush laying on the counter next to a small tube of toothpaste; she smiled, thankful for the toiletries.

She had just finished her night-time routine when her pocket buzzed. Startled, Juliet forgot she had her phone on her. Taking the black device out, the teen saw Erika sent her a text message: _when are you coming over?_

Crap, Juliet had told her friend that she would be sleeping over her house tonight. In fact, that was the same thing she told her mom. Double crap, if her mom found out that she wasn't at Erika's then there would be hell to pay.

Quickly she wrote back: _Not coming over tonight. I need a huge favor, if my mom asks say that I'm there._

Almost instantly her phone lit up with her friend's answer: _And why am I covering for you?_

The brunette bit her lip, she couldn't possibly tell Erika what really happened and she couldn't let her mom get suspicious. _Please! I'll explain later._

_You better missy. _

Juliet smiled, relieved that her friend agreed to cover for her. _Thanks I owe you._

Satisfied that her mom would be none the wiser about her daughter's whereabouts tonight, the brunette put the phone on the counter and changed out of her borrowed clothes and into her hero's dark shirt. It was way too big on her but the material smelt just like cinnamon, a deep inhale kept the aroma close and brought enough comfort with it that the teen was sure she would have no trouble sleeping even after what happened tonight.

Gathering up her clothes and phone, she crossed the large room and located the light switch Marcus had turned on for her. Memorizing the path from the switch to the beautiful bed, Juliet turned out the lights and made her way carefully to her plush destination. She dropped the bundle of clothes at the foot of the bed and set her phone on the nightstand.

With a tired sigh, she settled under the sheets her head burying into the soft pillows until she found a comfortable position. Her eyes drifted shut, her mind slowed down to adopt a pattern fit for sleep.

Her tiredness didn't surprise Juliet, it was the easy, comfortable way in which she adapted to her new environment. It was like a part of her mind was already familiar with Marcus and his home. Before she could question her easy trust in her hero, her phone buzzed loudly against the wooden nightstand lighting up the dark room with its artificial blue light.

Reaching over to grab it she saw that Erika sent her a text: _Just one question. My best friend sense is tingling. Does this cover up have something to do with Marcus?_

Juliet looked at the screen in shock. How the hell did she guess? The teen was partially impressed with this 'best friend sense' but it made her nervous. A yes or no answer from the brunette would lead to more questions but not answering at all would create trouble. Juliet bit her lip and opened the text message, just what in the world was she going to tell her best friend?

_**(Going back to when Marcus left the room)**_

Marcus gently shut the door behind him. He heaved a huge sigh of relief that could have gone horribly wrong.

They had just hurtled over a huge obstacle that could have damaged their relationship but Juliet handled the information surprisingly well. She was scared, he knew that but he could see the determination and strength in her eyes. And best of all he saw trust in her hazel eyes; honest and shy. She trusted him despite her fear of the night's events, despite the fact that she knew he wasn't human. The knowledge of her trust made his chest ache with happiness deeper and sharper than he had ever felt before. Almost against his will he leaned back towards the door, towards his fragile human mate.

He hesitated in the hall for a few moments, listening to the sounds of Juliet moving around in the room. A wide smile stretched across his lips; the fledgling bond gave him enough insight to know she would accept him. The fact that she agreed to stay here was proof of that; on some unconsciousness level she responded to the bond they shared, allowing her to trust him so completely. It was a trust he hoped he could live up to. Living in his world would be dangerous for her, given his position and hers; a human living among the Royal Family. He chuckled softly, _it's certainly going to be interesting._

He left his perch at her door and walked into his room, feeling somewhat optimistic about tomorrow. His mate was safe and in his home, thoroughly protected by the Royal Guard's finest Demons. He had no reason to worry right now.

_In his home._

That brought a wistful sigh to his lips and certainly did a lot to calm him down. Marcus still thought about the rouge vampires but with his mate safely within arm's reach, it was hard to feel the blinding rage from before. Instead of letting the emotion consume him, the Demon Prince made a vow to place a secure guardian bond on Juliet.

He would have to ask her permission since the bonding would be very involved. She would have to allow him into her mind so he could plant his energy within her psyche, giving him a way to immediately sense any danger around her.

Marcus stepped into the attached bathroom and examined himself in the mirror. His eyes were strained and his mouth was in a firm line, showing his stress from the night's events. He splashed some water on his face, trying to rid himself of the haunted look lingering in his eyes.

He shuddered, remembering the blinding panic that throbbed in his chest when he felt her terror through their fragile bond; remembered having his worst nightmare confirmed as he saw his mate bleeding, being stalked by a vampire. White hot rage boiled within him as soon as he reached the park, an echo of it still burned in his chest.

With perfect timing, he heard Juliet sigh across the hall snuggling into sleep; he was so attuned to her that the small innocent sound managed to reach his ears. Marcus let out a deep breath, expelling his anger. _She couldn't have planned it better_, he thought with a reluctant smile. He didn't want to let go of his rage, he had a right to it but his little human drew him away from those dark feelings without even knowing it.

He decided to stop thinking about what happened, focusing now on preparing for bed. He didn't need as much sleep as humans did but for the last couple of weeks he had barely slept. The chaos of the Quivering combined with protecting his mate from afar had left him too stressed to sleep properly.

But now, with his mate here in one of the most protected places in the world, he might actually be able to get some rest. He stripped down out of his clothes and headed for a quick shower just long enough to wash away the stench of the newborns. Unfortunately the slight mango aroma clinging to him would also be washed away.

He stood under the spray, letting the hot water soak his hair and drip down his body. He let the water run while he slowly relaxed, content to shut his eyes and let the water pound softly at his back. He poured liquid soap into his hands, working it into a fine lather and set to the task of ridding himself of dirt and grime. The cuts had disappeared from his chest but one deep claw mark in particular was slower to heal. All that was left of it was a pink scratch just under his ribs, the heat from the water soothed the ache.

Deeming himself clean enough, Marcus stepped out of the shower; he towel dried his hair so it was only slightly damp. Feeling much more relaxed he donned a pair of boxers and promptly crawled into bed.

As usual when Marcus let his mind relax in preparation for sleep his beast would come to the forefront of his mind and pace loudly in its mental cage. It was always active when he tried to rest and Marcus just assumed the beast never slept. When he was younger and couldn't control the beast well, he would spend countless nights fighting its demands for freedom and that was something he couldn't allow. Since then both man and beast matured, Marcus was much stronger and could ignore the beast's demands easily and the creature itself seemed much more subdued. Now it tried to get him to do certain tasks on its behalf. The only thing Marcus conceded to, (after much thought) was the beast's need for blood.

While demons did drink blood occasionally they were not dependent on the liquid like vampires. However his beast was more blood thirsty than most and after some trial and error, Marcus found that drinking donated blood regularly helped calm the beast and therefore made the creature more manageable.

With a deep breath, Marcus shut his eyes and tried to clear his mind so he could rest. Predictably the beast spoke, _Mate, want mate._

_So do I._ Came his automatic response. It was like an itch he couldn't scratch, Juliet was so close but he was worried that if he crowded her it might be too much for her to handle tonight.

_Have mate._

He sighed into the air, _we can't have her. Not now._

_Why no?_

Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose; the damned creature was a child in every way with its unpredictable temperament and speech. After centuries of being together it still didn't know how to speak English properly. His patience was low and he didn't want to deal with his beast, Marcus already had enough of its demands throughout the night, filling the Demon Prince with dark, violent urges compelling him to find an outlet for his rage.

Gritting his teeth against the surge of dark thoughts Marcus warned the creature, _we will frighten her if we go to her now._

_Why?_

What little patience he had broke, _we cannot push her!_ He growled at the creature and out loud, frustrated with the situation. _She has to come to us on her own._

Not completely understanding his meaning the creature knew the words were a benefit to their mate so his beast settled down… for now.

Sighing, he once again tried to settle comfortably under the sheets. He relaxed his body one part at a time, first his toes then his fingers and arms began to lose any tension still left in his body. Slowly he could feel his body sag with tiredness and his eyelids drifted shut.

He was still aware of his surroundings but they were significantly dulled as his consciousness dimmed in preparation for sleep. With his beast silent, the Demon Prince was able to sink further away from the waking world.

Marcus was startled from his semi-sleep when he heard Juliet's startled gasp from across the hall. His eyes snapped open at the sound, he strained his ears to catch every movement she made; the rustle of sheets, feet touching the floor with a soft thud. He heard the twist of one door, and he swallowed hard when light footsteps led to his door.

She slowly pushed the door open, trying not to make a sound; he could tell she couldn't see well in the dark otherwise she would have spotted his wide eye stare. His eyes raked over her body as he puzzled why she was here.

She carefully shut the door behind her and Marcus noticed that she wore his shirt, and nothing else. Her brown hair dipped in and out of the collar spread wide over her small shoulders. The deep vee of the shirt allowed just enough space to see the enticing hollow between her breasts. The dark material swamped her frame but he knew of the breathtaking shape that lay underneath it. Sweet curves, lush full breasts, small waist curving into wide mature hips perfect for him to settle both hands at her sides, fingers spreading over her soft belly.

Marcus felt his blood surging hot in response to his imagination, his body hardening swiftly.

He didn't move a muscle as she crept closer to the bed, afraid he would act on his desires. He swallowed hard and with all his iron-will self-control, pushed aside his body's insistent demands.

He forcefully ignored how the sight of seeing her standing in his room, in his shirt, made an alluring visual stimulus. Instead watched her move even closer, tiptoeing carefully in the dark.

He was fascinated with her stealthy movements, surprised at how quiet she was except for the fact that her heartbeat sounded loud in his ears.

She was about to trip on his pants when he decided to 'wake up' and discover why she entered the room. He sat up, resting his back against the headboard and after he adjusted the slight problem in his lap, he turned on the light next to the bed. He saw his mate blink rapidly at the sudden brightness and her heart sped up when she saw him looking directly at her.

"Juliet?"

Wide hazel eyes shone with a vulnerability that made his chest ache, his brows furrowed in concern.

The shirt bunched in her hands when she fisted the material in a nervous fashion; in a voice so soft she whispered, "Can I stay with you tonight?"

Immediately he nodded, overjoyed that she wanted to spend the night with him but he had an uneasy feeling that her reasoning was not pleasant.

Marcus outstretched his arms in invitation to come closer and she instantly responded. Her eyes watered as she ran over and jumped onto the bed, landing in his embrace.

He easily absorbed the impact and he gathered her to sit on his lap. His arms automatically encircled her small frame and he was alarmed to feel her shaking. Juliet buried her head into the crook of his neck and began crying, hot tears rolled on his bare chest.

The salty scent of her tears made his beast agitated with her distress and it demanded that Marcus do something, unfortunately he was not skilled in dealing with crying women.

He recalled running into his parent's room as a child when he had a nightmare, he remembered how his mother would gently rock him back and forth softly singing an old lullaby until he calmed down and fell asleep.

Drawing on that memory, Marcus hummed a quite tune to his mate tying to copy the comfort his mother gave him. He rubbed her back as the deep melody vibrated from his throat, lulling her sobs into quite sniffles. Being able to take away his mate's tears made his chest swell with male satisfaction.

The Demon Prince looked down at his mate with soft eyes, she was so small in his embrace. He felt a burst of power stream through his veins, his beast was letting itself known; they would protect this woman no matter the cost. Anything that made her upset made both man and beast upset in turn.

The low melody drifted to an end and Juliet lifted her head off his shoulder. Her hazel eyes were red and puffy, and there were tear streaks on her cheeks. He brushed away the remaining tears with his thumb, "What is wrong, Juliet?"

He watched as her eyes began to water again. Her lip trembled when she answered, "I had a nightmare that the guy from the park came back to get me. It felt so real."

Her anguished voice kicked him in the gut, he deeply regretted the circumstances of her introduction into his world. It was a terrible way to learn about the supernatural.

His hand gently cradled the back of her head, encouraging his mate to bury her face against him as she had before. The fear in her eyes shone too brightly for him to bear. With a voice that beguiled his distress he told her that the _man_ would never be able to come back to harm her.

"I know!" she sobbed into his chest. "I witnessed a mass murder and helped kill someone tonight" she was clutching him as desperation leaked into her voice. "How am I supposed to live with that?"

She began to sob once again, the weight of her conscience made her curl into his body.

He was pleased that his mate had a kind heart and he also recognized the strength it must have taken for her to hide this in front of his family. She waited until they were alone for her to confide in him. But the sound of her distress was unbearable; he never wanted to see her cry. It was his duty as a mate to take care of her; he would gladly bear any burden of hers if it would ease her stress.

He had to qualm her fears, "You destroyed a man who was already dead." He waited until she lifted her head to stare at him, her confusion was evident.

Marcus took a deep breath and shifted so she was more comfortable in his lap. Her arms locked behind his neck and he shivered at the warmth, her touch caused his suppressed desire to burn his body. Giving himself a mental shake he set aside his wants in favor of focusing on his mate's emotional state. He was able to school his features as she leaned away to meet his gaze; his own arms supported her slender back automatically.

He took another deep breath and hoped explaining this to her wasn't a mistake, "There are two ways to make a vampire. One way is kind told in myths, where one vampire bites a human and drinks their blood." He paused when she shivered at that part; her expression said she was clearly uncomfortable with that.

He hurried through the rest of his explanation, "the vampire then exchanges blood with their victim, sharing equal amounts of blood and creating a newborn vampire. The second way is forbidden by law, because in this instance the victim's soul is taken."

Her face paled instantly, and the sharp lines around her mouth had him pausing again. _Damn it, I shouldn't have told her, she seems more terrified than before. _

His mate sensed his hesitation to continue and she bravely asked him, "Please go on." She tightened her hold on him and he instinctively brought her body closer so that she was flush against him. His response to comfort her came so naturally and while her emotional state was nothing to smile about, Marcus felt a burst of affection well in his chest.

Her trust in him and her show of strength made his throat tighten with emotion. His little mate just had her world turned upside down and here she was putting on a brave face and asking for more, she was everything he hoped she would be. _I can never let this woman go_, he realized as Juliet rested her head against his shoulder, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

He hugged her tightly as a wave of protectiveness washed over him; he cherished her strong spirit and kind heart. She was so precious to him, no one ever came to him for comfort; he always kept a barrier between him and the rest of the world. But now that his mate demanded it from him, Marcus had no trouble opening up to her. He could easily let down his barriers for her.

"Honestly, I can handle it. Just skip on the details" his mate murmured against his skin.

With a tender smile he kissed her hair, breathing in her mango scent. He sighed, continuing his explanation, "When a vampire takes too much blood from their victim without a proper exchange, it is said that they drain the person of their soul. That person becomes a mindless minion for their creator with no thought of their own. These vampires cannot be saved because they have no soul. They are already dead."

Marcus stroked her hair as he let his words linger, he was positive she understood what he was trying to say but still he continued to explain.

"At first I thought the group we encountered tonight were merely newborns but after giving it more thought, I am sure now that they were soulless vampires."

Juliet was quiet for a moment, digesting the information. He couldn't see her face and grew anxious when she remained silent for a long minute.

"You only destroyed a shell of a body; the soul was already gone." Marcus wanted her to understand that she did nothing wrong, he did not want this on her conscience. "Please do not blame yourself."

She let out a heavy sigh, her soft breath tangled in his hair and sent a delicious shiver up his spine. It reminded him of how perfect her slight weight felt on his lap, how a simple shift of his hips would align their bodies perfectly.

With a silent growl Marcus forcefully pushed that desire aside, he needed to concentrate on helping his mate.

"That made me feel better," she admitted in his ear, adjusting her arms into a more comfortable position around his neck.

Marcus could almost feel the weight being lifted from her shoulders. He was proud that he was able to take this burden away from her but it was an awful reminder of what kind of world he lived in. What kind of world he had dragged her into.

Eventually her breathing evened out and she began to lean more heavily on him, she was falling asleep on his shoulder. With another burst of affection, he carefully picked her up off his lap, immediately missing her warmth, and placed her beside him on the bed.

She barely shifted as he willed the lights off and brought the blanket around her body. As soon as he settled under the sheets Juliet curled into his side, pressing close to him. Marcus let her head rest against his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her back.

He smiled at the ceiling, after being alone for so long he finally had his mate to share his bed with. His little human was unbelievably precious to him, and this moment of unconscious trust only solidified that truth.

It was the mating bond that brought them together but he hoped it was because of a growing affection she had for him that made her body choose him even in her sleep.

Juliet was handling the supernatural well so far and he had hoped that once everything was explained she would come to embrace his world.

With thoughts of a bright future Marcus closed his eyes, content with their situation. He gathered his mate close to the shelter of his body, a small smile lingered on his lips as he drifted off into the most restful sleep the Demon Prince had in a very long time.

**So, how was it? I deserve your brutal honesty after making you guys wait so long. Again I am so sorry for that. **

**For some reason this was a hard chapter to write and after countless edits I still don't feel this is my best chapter to date. I hurried and posted this so I am sorry for any mistakes. **

**AN: I want to explain something before anyone asks. Yes, Juliet's world got turned upside down but the reason she isn't running and screaming in fear is because of her bond with Marcus. That bond is helping her accept all the supernatural stuff going on. She was born to be Marcus' mate therefore she is genetically programmed to accept this life. While Juliet knows she has a special relationship with Marcus she has no idea (yet) how deep and how strong their connection is; some unconsciousness part of her recognizes and embraces Marcus' true nature. That is why Juliet trusts him and isn't crying in terror, but reasonably she is apprehensive and confused. **

**Also a topic I want to address is the orange juice scene. I know it might seem unrealistic but it's true of a native Floridian. Juliet (just like me) was raised on fresh squeezed orange juice that came from orange groves just a few miles away from where she lives. Even when packaged and sold in stores the orange juice tastes fresh because the period of time between squeezing the fruit and shelf life is very short compared to other parts of the country. It might seem ridiculous but in Florida you can taste the difference. **

**I need a last name for the Royal Family. Any suggestions? I was thinking something Greek but I would like to hear what you guys have to say.**

**Until next time (and I promise that it won't be so long between updates again)**

**Alkedema.**


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